Sunny Coast Times February 2021

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SUNNY COAST TIMES

FROM CALOUNDRA TO NOOSA

ISSUE #7 February 17 – March 16, 2021

Catch her if you can Meet the surf-mad sexagenarian inspiring others to get up and move

PLUS

Celebrating International Women’s Day Pages 24-25

Into the unknown

Bright spark

Fairground attraction

New tourism CEO urging us to find new experiences

Single mum realising her lifelong dream

Collectorama hits 30 years – and is still going strong

4–5

6–7

14

FROM THE EDITOR

Published third Wednesday of the month

EDITORIAL / ADVERTISING

CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION

T

5499 9049

ACCOUNTS

he difficulties many of us have faced in the past 12 months means it’s more important than ever to take time to celebrate our achievements.

This month we are celebrating the contribution of women to local business as part of our International Women’s Day feature (see page 24-25). Marked on March 8 each year, it is a day to celebrate the achievements of women around the world and to recognise the work that remains to reach genuine gender equality.

And continuing the celebrations, we also have a wrap-up of the outstanding local citizens and organisations that were recognised at this year’s Australia Day Awards (see page 19).

Meanwhile, as we continue our recovery from the pandemic, more and more events are popping up around the Coast. This month’s bumper Creative Cuts section features events such as Arts Connect Inc’s Open Studios and NOOSA alive!’s Reignite program that will be sure to get residents out and about in their community again.

This month we have profile pieces on a 67-year-old fitness freak who is running rings around people a third of her age (see page 6-7); an inspiring mum who has landed her dream mature-age apprenticeship (see page 10); and a South African surfing champion who now creates surfboards here on the Coast (see page 16-17). We also look at the history of Nambour’s beloved Collectorama fair (see page 14), and meet the man who is spearheading the Sunshine Coast’s tourism industry (see page 4-5).

We are so fortunate to live in such a remarkable part of the world, so make sure you take the time this month to celebrate just how lucky we are.

EDITOR

www.sunnycoastmedia.com.au

100% independently owned: While great care has been taken to ensure the accuracy and contents of the publication, the SCT accepts no responsibility for inaccuracies. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the views held by the SCT. All content is copyright and may not be reproduced without permission. The production of this FREE newspaper is only made possible by you continuing to support our advertisers.

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WRITERS Seanna Cronin Shirley Sinclair Rebecca Mugridge

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INSIDE THIS MONTH Tapping into tourism

4–5

Marilyn powers on

6–7

Holly’s big move

10

Dicko still in the limelight

12

Collector fair going strong

14

Shaping up nicely

16 – 17

Food, drink and dine

20 – 21

Community news

22 – 23

International Women’s Day

24 – 25

Letters, puzzles and Poets’ Corner

30 – 31

Creative Cuts

32 – 37 Education

38 – 39 Real estate

46 – 48 Classifieds

49

Sport

50 – 51 Cover image: Ironwoman Marilyn Clarence.

Image by Seanna Cronin

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FEBRUARY 2021 SUNNY COAST TIMES

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Researcher aims to end skin cancer

by CHRIS GILMORE

A

Sunshine Coast researcher has a simple message for preventing skin cancer: “Protect your skin every day.”

Dr Elke Hacker is a Research Fellow at QUT who works on technology to prevent skin cancer. Her research includes investigating technology such as apps, IoT (Internet of Things) devices, virtual reality and wearables to increase sun protection, decrease sunburn and reduce rates of skin cancer.

“Skin cancer is preventable, however young adults in Australia still get regularly sunburnt,” she says. “Our challenge is to develop new, innovative and creative ways to reach people with health messaging.

“We know sunlight is the main risk factor for skin cancer and better managing our time outdoors will reduce our risk of developing skin cancer. We can prevent this cancer and my recent focus has been testing technology to prevent this disease.”

Dr Hacker, 39, says understanding why Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world – double that of the United Kingdom – compels her to continue her vital work.

“My research has generated results that improve our understanding of the interplay between sun exposure, genetic susceptibility and skin cancer risk,” she says.

“My work has evolved from exploring carcinogenesis (the formation of cancer) to examining preventative approaches including post-sunburn treatments with DNA repair enzymes that could protect against skin cancer.”

Dr Hacker says this work on post-sunburn treatments holds promise for researchers.

“This research hopes to eventually lead to the development of post-sunburn applications that would suppress tumour formation,” she says. “Insight into the prevention of cancers is now the lead focus of many research groups around the country.”

Among her latest projects, Dr Hacker recently led a project to create a virtual reality game with a user-centred design approach to provide an immersive experience detailing the journey of skin cancer.

Dr Elke Hacker is dedicated to preventing skin cancer Dr Hacker with some of her devices to help prevent skin cancer

She has also developed a wristband that measures ultraviolet radiation, which was used at Schoolies to inform young people about their sun exposure, and has evaluated the effectiveness of sun safety prompts during an outdoor sport festival at Charleville. And during the pandemic, she used UV sunscreen detection cameras to provide personalised feedback on the effectiveness of hand-washing.

“It is great to know the studies we design now can help evaluate technology which could be used in the future to stop this disease,” she says.

For her valuable contribution to skin cancer research, Dr Hacker was late last year awarded Women in Technology’s prestigious Sue Wickenden Innovation in Science Award.

“It is a great honour and provides the opportunity to share my research with the wider community,” she says. “I am a strong advocate for the translation of research into outcomes for our community, with my research focused on testing health technology in real-world settings.”

Dr Hacker studied at Noosa District State High School and

the University of the Sunshine Coast before completing her PhD at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research – all before the age of 25. Since then her research has taken her to prestigious institutions around the world including Yale and Harvard in the US and the Marie Curie Research Institute in London, and she paid tribute to the people who have helped her along the way.

“I have a teaching diploma for tertiary education and I am very aware of the importance of excellent teachers,” she says.

“Much of what I have achieved has been learnt from just such people.”

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Rediscover our Coast The new CEO of Visit Sunshine Coast is urging residents to try something new in their own backyard Mooloolaba is one of the Sunshine Coast's many tourist magnets, including its new Aquaduck attraction (foreground)

by SHIRLEY SINCLAIR

V

isit Sunshine Coast CEO Matt Stoeckel has put the challenge out to all Queenslanders to discover new authentic travel experiences “on their doorstep”.

Speaking at a Brisbane lunch at Birrunga Gallery and Dining to help launch the Year of Indigenous Travel, Mr Stoeckel said the latest Tourism Research Australia figures showed the Sunshine Coast had experienced a 39.7 per cent increase in Queensland visitors – the intrastate market – in the past year, which was helping travel industry employers “keep people on the payroll, businesses operating and keep livelihoods going”.

“Last year was a horrendous year all over the globe for the tourism industry,” he said.

“The Sunshine Coast has been very fortunate in that we are able to change tack and really offset the loss of having no international travel and very limited interstate travel by

really focusing on an intrastate market and bringing more Queenslanders to the Sunshine Coast.

“The Sunshine Coast is just on the doorstep for so many Queenslanders. There’s so much more there to see and do and discover – and that’s what our new brand ‘For real’ is all about, showcasing that breadth and depth of authentic experiences all in a really, really close proximity to each other.”

Mr Stoeckel, the former Tourism Fiji boss, wants to challenge all Queenslanders to mix it up and try something new for their next Sunshine Coast holiday by venturing to untapped areas of the region, going outside the box in booking tours and visiting attractions, and staying somewhere different.

He warned the travel media present at the lunch that 2021 would be another challenging year for tourism.

“Whilst last year was a bit of a shock and disruption, that’s still here,” he said. “We might have had a good party on New Year’s Eve but just because the year ticked over did not

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mean this virus went away.”

Mr Stoeckel said VSC’s immediate focus this year would be to continue to provide support for the region’s tourism industry as it navigated through COVID-19.

“As an industry, we need to continue to work together, be flexible and adapt to these changes,” he said.

He said later that while some local businesses had been fortunate to innovate and capitalise on increased demand for their products and experiences, other operators had been deeply impacted commercially by adjustments to their business operations required through the new regulations and requirements.

“However, one thing that all the operators on the Sunshine Coast can take away is that their commitment to the health and safety standards has ensured the Sunshine Coast has been regarded as a safe and desirable destination to visit, and something that will hold us in good standing for 2021.”

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What gets Visit Sunshine Coast CEO Matt Stoeckel excited?

M

att Stoeckel finds himself playing tourist as he acquaints himself better with the region he is now charged with promoting to the world.

Mr Stoeckel started in the position in early January after five years as CEO of Fiji’s national tourism office, Tourism Fiji.

He said at the time that he was attracted to the role because of the region’s huge potential.

“With the newly upgraded airport, plans for new hotels and attractions, and its well-earned reputation for authentic nature-based experiences, there are massive opportunities for the Sunshine Coast to be a pace-setter in Australian tourism,” he said.

While he admits he tends to let his children dictate what to see, do and explore on holidays, he has the pleasure of discovering and spreading the word about what sets our Sunshine Coast apart from other destinations as part of his job description.

“As someone said to me when I first started the role, there’s a lot more to the region than ‘sunshine’ and ‘coast’,” he said.

“An important part of our role is showcasing this in the marketplace, highlighting the different villages that make up the fabric of the Sunshine Coast, our culture, food scene, unique experiences and people that make our region so special.”

That’s where Visit Sunshine Coast’s new brand ‘For real’ comes in.

Launched in November last year, the concept aims to differentiate our region from others and highlight our natural attractions. And Mr Stoeckel said the campaign could not have come at a better time.

“We know from research that this is

increasingly what travellers are seeking,” Mr Stoeckel said.

“Therefore, a focus for this year will be on continuing to activate this new brand through showcasing our incredible depth and breadth of experiences and our stunning natural landscapes that are so highly sought after by our target markets.

“Even if visitors come for the beaches – and we do have many of Australia’s best – some time should be set aside for touring the hinterland and Glass House Mountains, which are truly spectacular. (The Sunshine Coast) is a haven for adventure lovers: you can be surfing before breakfast and swimming under a waterfall by lunch, which highlights just how accessible the region is.” Visit Sunshine Coast CEO Matt Stoeckel

Matt’s top five ‘For real’ experiences in the region The Spit at Mooloolaba

Great Sandy National Park

1. Coastal The Sunshine Coast is made up of more than 100km of pristine coastline, from the sparkling waters of the Pumicestone Passage to the coloured sands of Rainbow Beach. Our beaches are regularly voted some of the best in Australia, and for good reason, with so many ways to experience them, including learn to surf lessons, Great Beach Drive tours or stand-up paddleboard yoga.

2. Nature From the coast to the hinterland, the Sunshine Coast has some of the most beautiful landscapes in Australia. Our region is also home to two adjoining UNESCO biospheres – Noosa and the Great Sandy – as well as one of only two everglades systems in the world.

The Glass House Mountains at more than 25 million years old are truly unique, and the Pumicestone Marine Park is a must-visit for all to the region.

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3. Food Mooloolaba is one of the busiest seafood ports on Australia’s eastern seaboard and our Mooloolaba prawns are found in high-end restaurants across the country.

But venture inland and you’ll also find the rich volcanic soils growing some of Australia’s best produce, from pineapples to macadamia nuts and finger limes. Taste the region at one of our farm-to-fork experiences or at local restaurants whose menus celebrate the region’s produce.

Swim with sharks at SEA LIFE Sunshine Coast

4. Immersive encounters From wildlife encounters to nature trails, markets and galleries, the Sunshine Coast offers an amazing array of attractions and experiences. For example, the Sunshine Coast was the first region in Australia to offer a swim-withwhales experience: a nature-led encounter that is 100 per cent on the whales’ own terms.

strEATside Markets in the Maroochydore CBD

5. Events While the events industry may have slowed in 2020 due to COVID-19, the Sunshine Coast has a number of exciting events back on the calendar for 2021. Due to our enviable climate and natural geography, the region has long been a premier destination for hosting major sporting events such as triathlons and ocean swims. But what sets us apart is the diversity of our events calendar, covering culture, arts, music and business events.

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At home in the surf

by SEANNA CRONIN

W

hen Marilyn Clarence says she has a box full of medals at home, she’s not kidding.

It’s an understatement actually; the decorated ironwoman and former swim coach has boxes of medals – the majority of them gold – from events spanning three decades and several continents.

As she sorts through the tangle to find her favourites, she recounts the buzz of being in Sydney during the 2000 Olympics to compete at the World Masters Games, and that time 45-knot winds blew her off her surf ski in Montpellier, France, during the Life Saving World Championships.

“I was like Mary Poppins,” she says. “I went to go around the second can and picked up my paddle and the wind just went whoof and my ski’s gone from underneath me and I’m hanging in the wind.

“Then I got thrown from my ski in the ski relay. My ski went about 2km down the beach, so I swam in and I ran 2km up the beach with my paddle and we won because no one else finished.”

Marilyn Clarence is running circles around people a third her age thanks to her remarkable mindset

Marilyn with Alex SLSC ski coach James 'J Mo' Porter

Retired swim coach Marilyn Clarence will compete for Alex Surf Life Saving Club in the upcoming Masters series

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Since retiring to the Coast from her native Newcastle 14 months ago with husband David – her biggest supporter affectionately nicknamed her ‘BB’, or ‘beach bitch’ – Marilyn is already entrenched in the local community thanks to her love of sport.

“We cannot believe how friendly the people are here,” she says.

“I go to Cotton Tree to swim and the ladies there are just so friendly.

“And the coaches at Alex Surf Club have really taken this 67-year-old under their wing.”

She will compete for the club at next month’s state championships and the Australian Masters Championships in April.

“For someone of her age to be going around and challenging herself, to show she’s more than capable in all sorts of conditions, is outstanding,” head coach Jack Hansen says.

“For our guys and girls, she’s an inspiration. We don’t necessarily change what we’re doing or adapt too much for anyone’s age – we have an open training policy – so you get

Marilyn and husband David at their home on Kawana Island

Marilyn (right) at the 2014 Life Saving World Championships in Montpellier, France

thrown in the deep end and you’ve got to keep up if you want to train with the squad.

“Her commitment and dedication to her training is second to none. Even with our elite athletes we’ve got going around she certainly adds a lot to our squad and our group.”

Saltwater has always been in Marilyn’s veins. Although she didn’t get into surf lifesaving until her mid30s when she enrolled daughter Amy in nippers, she grew up swimming and surfing in Newcastle.

“We lived on a farm in Killingworth and dad always had us out running chasing cows.

My mum and sister could run like the wind but I was a swimmer,” she says.

“My family had a beach shack and I loved it. There were about 30 of us with shacks on this 99-year lease. They eventually got bulldozed down and dad built a beach house at Hawks Nest.

I was a surfy kid.”

Marilyn, who worked as a personal trainer for 15 years, is also motivating others to push that little bit harder at her new gym, Fitstop Warana.

“It’s so inspiring for the trainers and members seeing Marilyn in each day, pushing herself through sessions and being so committed to her health and fitness,” manager Hanna Barnsley says.

“We feel so grateful to have Marilyn as part of our Fitstop Warana community.”

Marilyn credits her ability to run circles around people a third her age to her can-do mindset.

As the saying goes, age is just a number and it’s one Marilyn is happy to ignore.

“Once I get focused and I get down there to the gym, I just get in with those young ones and away I go,” she says. “You don’t put yourself down because you’re 67 and they’re only in their 20s or 30s. You do your best, you do what you can do and be happy you’re there. Every time I do something I give myself 10 points for walking through the door; I don’t care what happens after that.

“People don’t turn up because they think ‘I’m old’ but it’s just a mind thing.”

Just like her mum Dorothy Redriff, who’s still running and speed walking at 91, Marilyn has no plans to slow down.

“Mum worked until she was 68, then she went backpacking all through Europe,” Marilyn says.

“At 60 she trekked the Himalayas on her own and got to base camp.

“I don’t think there’s any time I’ve stopped.

I love sport and meeting people.”

What advice does she have for anyone wanting to be more active?

“People procrastinate because they get so worked up and overwhelmed, but just walking into the gym is 10 points. Say to yourself ‘I’m here for me’; give yourself the credit,” she says.

“Just start off easy but don’t give up. Do the whole session and ask ‘Did I really like that?’.

“You might just have a go at one or two days (a week) to get your body into that discipline.

“And you don’t have to do everything. I might turn up to the beach and go ‘that surf’s too big’ and I’ll just do the beach run.”

Some of Marilyn's medals from the 2009 World Masters Games in Sydney

FEBRUARY 2021 SUNNY COAST TIMES

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Sparks fly in new career

by REBECCA MUGRIDGE

Mature-age apprentice Holly Quinn gears up at her workshop

H

olly Quinn has a proficient energy about her, that of a person that remains calm under pressure and knows how to get things done.

She has a long but exciting road ahead. The Sunshine Coast mum-of-two has made a life-changing decision to switch careers, to get the job and lifestyle she always wanted.

“It is a long time if you are working until you are 70, so don’t be afraid to switch it up and try something new,” she says.

“It might not work out exactly how you think, but it just might.”

While the world was in the midst of COVID-related chaos and unemployment soared, people found themselves looking at their careers and jobs with trepidation. Holly, however, was a woman fuelled by determination with a goal clear in her sights.

Pre-COVID she had made the powerful decision to completely change careers and go after her dream job, to be an electrician – a big deal for anyone, but especially a single mum.

“You work most of your life so you should try to love what you do,” she says. “You want to be getting up every morning and doing something you love.”

From teeth to tools, it has been a whirlwind journey and complete career change for Holly.

“I ended up working my whole life in teeth because at 14 I started working for my local dentist,” she says. “I was working as a hygienist in Brisbane right before I made this career change.

We had the same electrician come to fix things and he happened to have a female apprentice. He was just such a nice guy. I would talk to him when he came in and look at what they were doing.

He really was that extra kicker to have a go at a career change. It was a real ‘yeah, let’s do that one day’ situation.

“My job was great but I was bored. I had started planning pre-COVID. I knew what I wanted to do – I wanted to become an electrician; a tradie. By the end of 2019 I was making plans and by early 2020 I was doing a Cert II at TAFE. You don’t technically need to do a Cert II to do an apprenticeship, but I knew it could help me get a foot in the door.

“And then COVID hit.

“At first I kept thinking, who quits a perfectly good job in a pandemic? But I thought, you know what, I am still doing this; I have looked forward to this for so long, done all my

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FEBRUARY 2021 SUNNY COAST TIMES

preparation. So, I did it.”

In the same fierce spirit that saw her once trek to the Everest base camp, run a halfmarathon, compete in several triathlons and paddle 42km in a six-man outrigger canoe race, she landed herself the apprenticeship needed to follow that career.

Holly is quick to mention the help and inspiration she’s had along the way. It took work, networking and planning, but she got there.

“I found work experience with a local guy,” she says. “He was upfront that he wasn’t needing an apprentice, but he was happy to show me some things, so that was great. He was lovely and that time was invaluable.

“I also bought a shoe box off a person on Marketplace and we got talking. I told her what I was doing. She said, ‘That’s awesome, good for you. I had one (an electrician) here the other day, want his number?’ He ended up being the guy I did my work experience with. I just didn’t say no to anything – any link or referral. I just said yes.

“I was applying for jobs and talking to people, I even ended up putting an ad on Facebook. It was that post on social media that led a lady named Sarah to send it to an electrician she knew, who then two days later had his office manager say they needed to find a mature-aged apprentice.”

Holly’s boss and owner of Tenmen Electrical, Isaac Jamieson, is proud to have hired not just Holly but two mature-aged apprentices since the business began, saying they bring something extra to the role.

“I honestly think matureaged is the way to go,” he says.

“They bring a lot more life experience to the job. Our first apprentice was mature-aged and he is still with us now – he started at 38. Holly (right) in her previous career in the dental industry

Holly with Isaac Jamieson (right) and another Tenmen Electrical employee

Holly trekking to the Everest base camp

“We would go to wholesalers and the reps would talk to him and he would have to say, ‘No, that’s my boss (indicating the younger Isaac).’ And I would be like, ‘Yep,’” he smiles.

“With mature-aged too, like Holly, they are there because they really want to be there.”

Holly is proud to be an example that you can change the career in your life, and it is OK to want to.

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11

the Coast, he’s got a great deep voice and he’s a great picker, so he was perfect for doing our Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash songs.”

Dicko is also involved in Channel Seven’s new Holey Moley, saying the madcap nature of the show – and its short shooting schedule – appealed to him.

“I did my bit in just one night,” he says. “I do still get offered TV shows, most of which I’m not interested in because I’m busy, but they said to me, ‘Look, do you want to dress up as a pirate in a giant putt-putt game and chip golf balls over a shark-infested pond?’ and I went, ‘Sure, why not?’ It sounds like my level at the moment – if I’m not dressed as a cowboy I’m dressed as a pirate.

I think it suits my attitude right now – I’m really, really busy but if I’m going to give up some of my precious music time to go and make TV it’s got to be perfectly daft, and this is perfectly daft.

“Basically, the way they did it, because it’s a big course – like It’s a Knockout but with putters – and a really big colourful production, they basically filmed my hole on one night and then they stitched it all together, so I just saw everyone on my hole. But basically I saw lots of people winding themselves, half-drowning – I think the body count is quite high for a reality TV show.

“It’s just a bit of colourful fun really – and people hurting themselves, which, let’s face it, we all love to watch. When someone gets smashed by a giant windmill or winded trying to jump on to a shark, who’s not going to love that?”

The English-born personality, who worked with some of the world’s biggest bands during his time in the UK record industry before coming to Australia, continues to be involved in music management on the Coast. While he says “I love all of my children equally”, he mentions local bands Sametime, Sailing in Space and Happy Valley as ones to watch.

“We always say, ‘Look, we’ve got an offer, we’re not interested, we don’t want any more artists, we’ve got enough,’ and then we see one more and say, ‘They’re awesome,’” he says.

“It just so happens that we’re mainly working with people from around here and that kind of suits me fine because I don’t want to have to be going up and down to Sydney any more, I got out of the habit of that.

I’m happy around here really.”

Given his remarkable career in the a difference.’ They said, ‘What do you entertainment industry, has Dicko ever mean?’ and I said, ‘It’ll have drag considered writing a book? queens in ours.’

“I keep thinking about it but here’s “It’s a little bit camp, it’s a little bit the problem: I think I’d be telling too off-colour, but it’s a heap of fun. What many lies,” he says. “Most of the stories we describe it as is classic Nashville that I think are my life – every time hits meets Priscilla, Queen of the Desert you tell a story, you add another layer with a bit of Hey Hey It’s Saturday of varnish, just to make yourself seem mayhem. That’s what it is really – an even more awesome, and I reckon there’s Dicko on Channel Seven's Holey opportunity to have a good sing-song, a a large chunk of what I think is my life that Moley. Image from Twitter bit of a feed, a few beers with your mates didn’t actually happen that way. If I wrote a and have some fun.” book now it’d be full of lies – it’d be absolutely Dicko says the show features some entertaining but I don’t know how true it would be. outstanding local talent.

So I might have to find a different way.

“The other thing is I don’t know why that’d be interesting to anyone really. I keep coming up with all these stories and my wife says, ‘You’ve got to write this down’ and I go, ‘Why, they’re my memories?’. They’re all in there, and every now and then I can pluck one out that’s interesting, but there’s people who’ve been on reality TV shows and they write a book and you think ‘really?’. There’s a lot of really accomplished people, far more interesting people than me I reckon. Or maybe I’m just lazy.”

Dicko also reveals he has a passion for politics, and even holds a degree in the subject.

“I love politics,” he says. “I’m going to do Celebrity Mastermind – if I’m ever allowed back into Sydney – in March, “There’s about 18 in the crew, about 13 people on stage,” and my chosen speciality subject is going to be the Trump he says. “When we did our show on the Gold Coast I got my presidency. I’m absolutely fascinated by politics, American little black book out and got all my old musician mates from politics especially. I completely devour political news sites every all over – you know, top of the tree in Australia – but because day.” of COVID we were focused on getting people from south-east So what’s his take on the current political situation in the Queensland, but it’s ended up working brilliantly because we’ve US as it enters the Biden era? just got a heap of amazing, really talented musicians who are “It seems like they’ve come out of a four-year nightmare real believers, so it’s like a real family environment. basically,” he says. “I can understand why people got the “We’ve got some great singers – Taylor Moss, who we also s---s with big government and the political elite, but I’m still manage, she’s a fantastic young country singer from the Coast, struggling with the idea that Donald Trump was the answer. It’s and she’s doing really well. She just gives us some real ‘wow’ like picking Mark Holden for Prime Minister, it’s just hilarious. moments. I even got in touch with my old mate Luke Dickens ‘Have you anything to say on the budget, Prime Minister?’ ‘Yes, from Australian Idol – he’s moved up to Caboolture – but he’s bingedy-bangedy-bong touchdown – ridiculous, isn’t it?” an ex-sheep shearer so his country credentials are unparalleled.

The next Dicko’s Country Spit Roast is on Friday, March 5.

And then an old mate of mine, Craig Madden, who plays around Visit nightquarter.com.au/dinner-and-show.

Ian ‘Dicko’ Dickson hosts his own country-style cabaret show at NightQuarter

Country life suits Dicko just fine

by CHRIS GILMORE

F

or someone who swapped the bustling city life for the quiet of the Sunshine Coast hinterland, Ian ‘Dicko’ Dickson is still a very busy man.

The former Australian Idol judge hosts his own monthly cabaret night at NightQuarter, has a role on Channel Seven’s new golf-themed TV show Holey Moley and is still heavily involved in music management – all on top of his fascination with politics.

It was five years ago that Dicko and his family left Sydney for Maleny, a switch he says was initiated by his wife and that he is very grateful for.

“She bewitched me, she did one of those Vulcan mind meld tricks from Star Trek, and she basically said, ‘You don’t need to be in Sydney any more, this is your home,’” he says. “I’m glad she did because it’s the best move we ever made. I’m so happy up here, it’s just a brilliant community. I know everyone in town virtually, everyone gets on real well, and it’s just full of really nice people who do really nice stuff.

“It’s funny, I’ll drive up the hill from Landsborough to Maleny and when my ears pop I know I’m home. I’ve just got out of the habit of going to Sydney and Melbourne … I think you can kid yourself that the world starts and ends in the big cities.

Seriously, once I’ve got my head out of that mindset, and just focused on being around here, stuff started to happen and it’s really good, fun stuff. I just think we kid ourselves that it all exists in the big city, but it’s bulls---. These days, you can do it all here.”

Dicko’s Country Spit Roast kicked off late last year at NightQuarter in Birtinya, with the monthly dinner-and-show night proving popular with audiences.

“They’ve been going really well,” says Dicko, who serves as the host of the evening. “Everyone seems to be having a great time.

“We were working with NightQuarter, obviously a new venue on the Coast, and they said they wanted to introduce dinner and a show, and they asked us to produce a show. We produced a big ’80s show down on the Gold Coast and they said, ‘Would you do that?’ and I went, ‘Well, I think the ’80s is pretty well over-served.’ So we’d been wanting to do a country hits show for years and I said, ‘It’ll be a country hits show with

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13

All the fun of the fair

by CHRIS GILMORE

“A

lways buy what you like, to enjoy it, not just because you think it’s worth more.”

That’s the advice of Tom Wall, the organiser of beloved Sunshine Coast institution Collectorama, which this year marks 30 years in business.

Together with his wife Laurie, the duo have been organising the event since its inception. Laurie says it’s now “30 years going strong”, but did they think when they started it that it would still be going?

“I guess you don’t think like that when you start a business, ‘30 years down the track will we still be doing it?’” she says. “There were a few years where our demographic – maybe 10 years on – seemed to be mostly older people and we were wondering if it would be the end of the trend, but it’s all good because vintage is so fashionable now days that it’s never lost its kudos. There’s always these young kids coming on, everything from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s is highly collectable as well – you go to these coffee shops around the place and it’s a cool thing to have vintage-inspired decor.”

Inspired by the success of antique fairs in England, the inaugural event was held at the old bowls club in Yandina under two “enormous” marquees. It was well attended but problems with parking and traffic on what was then the Bruce Highway forced it to be moved to the Nambour Showgrounds, where it has been ever since. Initially held three times a year, it was later ramped up to four times a year.

“Tom is English, and we did live in England for a while in the late ’80s, and while we were there we both liked antiques and collectables and unusual stuff so we used to go to all the antique shows over there and they really inspired us,” Laurie says. “We lived in Bristol for a while – very cool town – and there’s this huge Bristol Temple Meads Station with arching architecture and huge spaces, and they regularly had a big antiques fair in there and it was fabulous. Also, we often went to Bath, just up the road a bit, and Bath is full of really cool antique places and collectables and vintage as well. So we got back to Australia and decided to create our own, so Collectorama was born.”

After being involved with the collectables fair for so long, the duo have seen their fair share of unusual items changing hands.

“I just happened to see a customer walking along with this great big cone-shaped thing about the size of a cement mixer barrel, and it was actually a de Havilland Mosquito nose cone from the Second World War,” Laurie says. “He told me the story, he was so delighted. He’s got a man-cave and collects propellers and aircraft paraphernalia. He’d known this old chap for a long time and the old chap had a nose cone like that, and he promised it to this younger man, but the older guy got dementia and passed away and of course he never got it. He saw this one at Collectorama, bought it at a great price and he was just over the moon that it came to him eventually. Then, taking it home, he had it strapped on his car and a photographer from a paper saw it and took a photo of it on his car.

That was definitely the most distinctive thing.

“But you hear stories of people who’ve been looking for this elusive part of their

14

FEBRUARY 2021 SUNNY COAST TIMES

Tom and Laurie Wall at Collectorama

collection which will make their life entirely complete once they’ve got it and they found it at Collectorama.”

The duo do have some tips for those looking for that special collectable.

“Talk to the traders – they can’t bring everything,” Tom says. “They might have what you want at home or be able to get it for you.”

Laurie adds: “People think they have to get there early but I’ve walked around later in the day and there’s this little thing I’ve found and I think, ‘Wow, that’s just for me,’ and I think it’s so wonderful I just get it.”

The event regularly attracts 150 dealers, and attendees come from as far away as Adelaide and Canberra. Some punters even book holidays on the Coast based around the dates for Collectorama.

The event also helps to support wildlife rescue and care organisation WILVOS. Two events were cancelled last year because of COVID but it returned in November, and the next event – on March 6 – is nearly booked out to dealers already.

“You never know what’s going to turn up because these collectors, they work really hard to find their stock – they’re always sourcing it and then on the day it’s wonderful to see what turns up,” Laurie says. “It’s been great what’s turning up too because there was a gap last year, there were two missed ones, and some people only just do Collectorama, so stock was astounding last November, it was fabulous.

“There’s always new blood coming in with various different dealers, and people having one-off stalls.”

Tom and Laurie, from Yandina, have previously taken the fair to other venues, including the Gold Coast and the RNA Showgrounds and the Convention Centre in Brisbane, but they have no plans to move it from the Nambour Showgrounds.

“We’re more than happy to keep it on our own turf now and it seems to work really well at Nambour – plus it’s just up the road from us, it’s really convenient,” Laurie says. “And the showground – it’s a beautiful venue, it’s really gracious, lots of trees, good parking considering the crowd that comes in, so we’re happy with the Nambour Showground and I think we’ll be staying there.

“We don’t want it to be too big because some of those fairs in England, you need days to walk around.

“We’re just happy to be able to keep doing

it because we didn’t know what would happen with COVID. We still love it, it’s our passion, we love bringing it to people.”

Part of the success of the fair is no doubt down to the skills of Tom and Laurie. They have been married for more than 35 years and share the responsibility for organising the event.

“I’m the one who does all the social media, editorials, writing, talking, because I’m the artsy one,” Laurie says. “He’s the accountant, the business brain and that type of thing – the bookings, the ground plans and the banking and that sort of thing.”

Tom has been confined to a wheelchair for 24 years after a fall from a faulty housing beam made him a paraplegic, but Laurie says that has not hindered him.

“He’s got a really good sense of humour,” she says. “He’s a testament to strong will and living life to the full despite a disability.

“He’s a very fair person as far as if there’s a dispute – not that they happen, it’s very friendly, but occasionally – he’s extremely good at diplomacy and diffusing any awkward situation. I think he’s got a reputation as a good organiser and a fair organiser.”

After 30 years, Tom and Laurie’s passion for Collectorama has not dimmed.

“We absolutely love it because it’s such a varied type of business,” Laurie says. “The thing about running it, when you’re there on the day, it’s such a buzz – so many happy people there, it’s wonderful. It’s about upcycling as well, all this stuff that could be just chucked away or whatever, people love it – there’s this never-ending spiral of ownership where it may be with someone for a while, they pass it on, it’s a loved thing, it keeps going around being owned. That makes us feel really good.

“It’s all about the people essentially – they own the stuff to start with and somehow their personalities become imbued with some of the items, I don’t know how that happens but it seems to somehow. And the friends that we’ve made. There’s a huge amount of networking, camaraderie is very strong at Collectorama. Some of the people have been coming for the whole 30 years.”

The next Collectorama is at Nambour Showgrounds on March 6.

Visit facebook.com/CollectoramaFair.

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Shapes of a surfer Former South African champion Dean Geraghty has found his passion for surfboards again on the Sunshine Coast

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Dean Geraghty has the right work-life balance to pursue his passion for shaping and surfing.

Image by Rebecca Mugridge

D

ean Geraghty’s first surfboard was an old single-fin from his dad. He and his brothers took it down to the waves where he lived in South Africa. He was 14½ .

“I was a late bloomer really,” he says. “If kids want to do well in anything, a sport, generally they start much earlier. But I started to compete by 18 and by then I was really hungry to do well.”

Dean was the 1992 and 1994 South African national open champion, and later the 2002 South African national masters champion, as well as representing his country at the 1994 and 1996 International Surfing Association World Surfing Games in Brazil and the US respectively.

Alongside these incredible wins, Dean found a lifelong passion for the craft of shaping.

“I started shaping surfboards at 16,” he says. “I would finish school and run to go and watch my local shaper shape boards.

He would literally be about 10km away but for me it was just everything to see him and see what he was doing; the thought processes and the skill it took to be able to master and create a beautiful shape.”

Dean, who is now based on the Sunshine Coast and runs his own Geraghty Shapes business, vividly remembers the very first board he shaped.

“I remember I was so excited, but it resembled a banana it had so much curve in it! I tried to surf it and I could tell straight away it wasn’t going to work,” he laughs. “Just like anyone starting from scratch, you don’t start off a pro. It became something I really found a deep connection with.

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Dean relaxes under a canopy of his boards

“By the time I was 18 I was shaping surfboards, surfing competitively and doing a Bachelor of Arts degree at university.

A few years later I was still surfing competitively and doing my honours when things changed dramatically in our family.

Massively. My dad now was no longer. I was 20.”

At just 21 Dean moved to Cape Town where he partnered with another professional surfer, spending 21 years running a highly successful shaping business together.

“We were two very competitive surfers,” Dean says. “He was an international competitor and I was the top national surfer, so the two of us together was a powerful force in terms of credibility and what we were creating. It skyrocketed.

“Back in the day I was hand-shaping five boards a day from scratch, running a factory, getting up at 4.30 and we would go off for a surf in the afternoon on the way home.”

There was romance for Dean during this time too, meeting the love of his life Lynette, also a successful surfer. She became the mother of his two daughters, who are successful, competitive athletes in their own right: both dancers.

“I met Lyn when I was making boards for her brother,” Dean says. “I remember she came in the car with her brother Chris, and unbeknown to me at the point, he is ordering a surfboard and there was my future wife sitting in the car. We eventually met much later at a surf comp.

“After Lyn and I got married, we decided to give the competitions one last go. I won that nationals and Lyn made the finals in her division too, and then we decided to start a family.”

A job offer in 2012 meant a massive move for the family.

“Lyn and I travelled over here to the Sunshine Coast many years ago,” Dean says. “We had a wonderful trip. It always felt like home to me, for some reason it just always did. So, when I got offered a position with a Brisbane company’s satellite business at Kunda Park here on the Coast, because I was in fibreglass and had all that background business experience and understanding the chemistry and things, we took it. We decided to immigrate.

We moved to Kawana Island, building our first home on the A Geraghty design

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Dean was a national champion back in South Africa

Coast two years later in Brightwater before eventually settling in Buderim. We love it here.

“I threw myself in the deep end. I built that business and we just grew and grew. We must have grown about 600 per cent over the years I was there.

“When I came over here, I knew that the surfboards weren’t going to come first and I kind of lost myself in the business I built for a while.

“In 2019 I had a major health scare that made me realise that I needed to re-evaluate how I continued doing things. After recovery, it put things – in particular work stress in my life – into better perspective.

“In 2020, a truly challenging year, post the health scare the previous year, my daughter had knee surgery at the peak of her performance ability before she was going to go full-time in her dancing. To see her dreams so crushed was devastating as a parent to witness, and to navigate all the emotions she went through. Then later that year in October, I was made redundant waves along the Kawana stretch, Twin Waters and Anne St reef.

- 80 x 75mm after immigrating from South Africa and working for the Single Column “I have customers that are really excited and interested in Businesstheir card - 80 x 50mm company for 8½ years, it really knocked me ... it left me stunned. board design, ” he says. “They want to understand more “A good friend of mine said to me just before that time about what they are riding, that gets me really excited. The that the flame had gone out in me. And he helped me get my journey of getting a board with me is different to how the shaping bay set up and then that kicked off my surfing again. normal experience is of ordering a surfboard from a surf shop. It They work hand in hand: the more I shaped the more I wanted is more personal and involved, it is a thorough understanding of to surf, and the more I surfed the more I wanted to shape.” their technique and style that I try to really capture. I design their Dean’s shaping business, Geraghty Shapes, is a huge part board with them, and they are on that journey with me. of his life again, and working individually with passionate surfers “That’s what I love to do, that is what excites me, that is has lit that spark within him again. He has a new job in Coolum what interests me.” with ZoneRV caravans and spends a lot more time surfing and You can find Dean’s custom Geraghty Shapes boards at shaping custom boards. You might spot him catching Coast geraghtyshapes.com, or find Geraghty Shapes on Facebook.

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SOCIALS

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Linda Warner, Elaine Hitchcock and Sharyn O'Connor

aloundra Evening VIEW Club members put a different spin on mask-wearing at their January Friendship Dinner at Caloundra Golf Club.

The social dinner gave members an opportunity to become reacquainted after the Christmas break.

Guests were required to arrive ‘en masque’, resulting in the appearance of a great variety of decorative masks, from feathered formal styles to vibrant, glittering Mardi Gras versions.

VIEW clubs are an arm of The Smith Family. The Caloundra club conducts low-key fundraising to sponsor the educational expenses of local students in the belief that education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty in our community.

To inquire about the club phone Sue on 0403 504 408.

May Thomas, Debbie Morgan and Juliet Anderson

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Top citizens recognised

(From left) Kawana Waters Surf Life Saving Club, Reef Check Australia, Cheryl Harris, Carmel Crouch, Angelique Hallett, Lions Club Mooloolaba, Stephen Ossedryver, Aleesah Darlison and Mark Jamieson

T

he Sunshine Coast’s most outstanding citizens and organisations have been honoured at the 2021 Australia Day Awards.

More than 250 people were on hand at a special ceremony to see Volunteering Sunshine Coast CEO Cheryl Harris named 2021 Sunshine Coast Citizen of the Year.

Under her leadership, volunteer numbers have grown significantly on the Coast, and today there are about 64,000 volunteers serving the local community.

Carmel Crouch, the managing director of disability service provider STEPS, was also recognised, taking out Senior Citizen of the Year.

“STEPS has always been a heart project for me so it’s an amazing feeling to see that recognised,” she said.

“This award is shared with so many in our community, and with all who have helped STEPS continue to provide opportunities.”

Mayor Mark Jamieson praised the efforts of all the award winners and nominees in what was a particularly tough year because of the COVID pandemic.

“2020 was a year that will never be forgotten for so many reasons – but particularly because we saw our residents come together to support each other like never before,” he said.

“The nominees for the Sunshine Coast Australia Day Awards are a very special group and this is our chance to say thank you.

“Their stories highlight just how fortunate we are to have so many everyday heroes amongst us.

“All of our award recipients and nominees are truly deserving of these accolades.

“Their passion and dedication to helping those in need and

our broader community is inspiring and they make a difference to so many lives every day.”

Meanwhile, five Sunshine Coast residents were recognised in the Australia Day 2021 Honours List.

The awards were announced by the Governor-General reflected decades of service in marine science, environmental conservation, paramedicine and to the community.

Among the recipients was Dr Carden Wallace of Mount Coolum, the Queensland Museum Emeritus Principal Scientist who has authored or co-authored more than 130 scientific publications and undertaken significant research into reefs, corals and fossil corals.

Norma McLeod of Maleny was recognised for service to the Maleny community through her work with the Centre for Retirement Living (Blue Care), Maleny Show Society, Maleny Garden Club, Maleny Floral Art Group and the Maleny Soldiers Memorial Hospital, to name just a few.

Kenneth Mewburn of Golden Beach was recognised for service to conservation and the environment as former president of the Take Action for Pumicestone Passage and member of council’s Community Reference Group for its UNESCO Biosphere Reserve nomination.

University of the Sunshine Coast School of Nursing Adjunct Associate Professor Raymond Bange of Currimundi was recognised for service to paramedicine, education and the community.

And Gordon Barratt of Buderim was recognised for service to children with a disability and mental health issues, and their families. He was a founding and board member of Connect Community Plus Kids and committee member of the Board Meeting Surf Charity since 2007.

THE WINNERS Sunshine Coast Australia Day Award 2021 recipients: • Cheryl Harris – Citizen of the Year • Angelique Hallett – Young Citizen of the Year • Carmel Crouch – Senior Citizen of the Year • Lions Club Mooloolaba – Community Group or Organisation • Aleesah Darlison – Creative • Reef Check Australia – Environment and Sustainability • Stephen Ossedryver – Sport and Recreation • Kawana Waters Surf Life Saving Club – Outstanding Achievement COVID-19 Response Award Senior Citizen of the Year Carmel Crouch, the managing director of STEPS

SUNNY COAST MARKET GUIDE WEEKLY Sunday 7 am- 12 noon Every Sunday in the Caloundra Rugby Union carpark, Arthur Street Caloundra. 7am to 12 noon. Fruit and vegie, jewellery, reflexology, plants, soap, vintage records, coffee and food.

NEW STALLHOLDERS WELCOME contact Lindsay 0401 482 949.

ADVERTISE YOUR MARKET HERE Market guide $49 monthly min 6 months FEBRUARY 2021 SUNNY COAST TIMES

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FOOD, DRINK AND DINE CHIA PORRIDGE TWO WAYS Serves: 2 Prep time: 10 minutes + overnight Cook time: 10 minutes Fruit and veg: 1 serve per portion Ingredients 3 tablespoons chia seeds ½ cup warm water ¼ milk, reduced fat 1 teaspoon cinnamon Topping: ½ apple, grated ½ banana, mashed ¼ cup walnuts, roughly chopped OR 1 cup canned fruit in juice, drained 2 tablespoons natural yoghurt

TURKEY AND CRANBERRY BURGERS Serves: 4 Prep time: 15 minutes + 30 minutes soak time Cook time: 10-15 minutes Fruit and veg: 1 serve per portion Ingredients 250g lean turkey mince 1 medium onion, finely diced 60g dried cranberries 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice ¼ cup breadcrumbs, wholemeal 1 egg, beaten 2 sage leaves, finely chopped 4 bread rolls, wholemeal 2 cups assorted salad 5 tablespoons beetroot and juniper relish Method • Soak cranberries in orange juice for 30 minutes.

• Combine mince, onion, soaked cranberries, breadcrumbs, egg and sage in a bowl. Divide mixture into 4 patties.

• Heat oil in a non-stick frypan over medium heat. Add patties to the pan and cook for 6 minutes on each side.

• Serve on a wholemeal bread roll with relish and your choice of assorted salad.

What’s great about it?

These burgers are a great healthy option for lunch. Turkey mince is low in fat and high in protein, making it a good alternative for beef in patties. Using wholemeal breadcrumbs in the patties will also increase the fibre content and when paired with wholemeal bread rolls makes for a good fibre hit.

Recipe courtesy of Sara Faddy, Maleny Branch

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FEBRUARY 2021 SUNNY COAST TIMES

Le Rela

Flaxton Gardens

Method • Place chia seeds in a bowl, add warm water and allow to stand for at least 30 minutes. Mix in milk and leave in refrigerator overnight. Chia seeds will swell.

• Serve cold with fresh fruit and sprinkle of nuts and yoghurt; OR • Serve hot, cooking in a microwave for 1 minute with the canned fruit and yoghurt mixed in.

What’s great about it?

Oats are one of the healthiest breakfasts you can eat, yet variety is also key! Here is a summer version of a breakfast pudding to be enjoyed on an early morning. Make it tonight, let it set and grab a spoonful in the morning. Best of all, place the mixture into jars the night before and enjoy at work or on your daily commute.

Recipe courtesy of May Hampton, Palmwoods Branch

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FOOD, DRINK AND DINE

Are we the Craft Beer Capital?

Loving a little French du vin WINE TIME

by MICHELE STERNBERG

F

ebruary is a month for lovers and what better way to say je t'aime than with a bottle of French wine?

The French have been producing wine for more than 2600 years – plenty of time to perfect their skills. You’re no doubt familiar with the famous wine-making regions of Bordeaux, Provence, Burgundy, Champagne and the Loire Valley, even if you’re not a huge wine connoisseur.

Bordeaux is known for its cabernet sauvignon and merlot varieties, Provence for its rose, Burgundy for pinot noir and chardonnay, Champagne for (obviously) champagne as well as pinot noir and chardonnay, and the Loire Valley for sauvignon blanc.

Another very popular selection of French wines is found in the Rhone Valley, in south-eastern France scattered around the meandering Rhone River. The wines of the Rhone Valley, also known as Cotes du Rhone wine, are often some of the most expensive wines you can buy.

I spotted a bottle of Chemin Des Papes Cotes du Rhone on the shelves of my local bottle shop mainly because of its classic labelling. There was no varietal listed, just the year 2019. Perhaps the French just assume we know that region produces grenache, syrah, mourvedre, cinsault, carignan, counoise and picpoul grapes, and that this is a cheeky blend of all seven.

The name, Chemin des Papes, literally means Path of the Popes, so I was hoping this to be an experience of biblical proportions. Boldly across the bottom of the label, this bottle bears the number 35121 (cette boutteille porte le no 35121). Is this significant? Not really. But it looks impressive.

The flavours were smooth, not complex and there was certainly grenache and syrah in the mix of this oaky red offering.

Hints of vanilla, blackcurrant and strawberry on the nose were followed by light fruity flavours and a hint of oak and spice.

It’s an easy-drinking wine that has a dry finish, but leave it to breathe before quaffing.

A pretty bottle of rose from Anjou in the western Loire Valley also caught my eye. The expensive look of the Champteloup Rose d’Anjou 2019 bottle belies its cheerful price tag. Inside, grolleau and cabernet franc grapes combine to produce a crisp flavour combination of summer red berry fruits.

This delicate dry rose tastes like strawberries and cream.

Don’t pair it with strawberries and cream though as you’ll quickly lose that subtle sense of sweetness. Opt for the gentle seafood flavours of scallops and crab or a cheese platter with camembert or brie.

THE BEER FROM ROUND HERE

by JOSH DONOHOE

W

ith 17 breweries now located on the Coast, it really begs to ask the question – are we the Craft Beer Capital of Australia? Based on breweries per capita, we have must surely have that one covered?

But what about based on awards and accolades, I hear you ask? Well it might interest you to know that our breweries have recently been recipients of national and state awards for their beer, and not only that, Moffat Beach Brewing Co has been named Champion Independent Small Brewery of Australia twice in the past three years.

Add the recent success in the GABS Hottest 100 beers voting, and you will note Your Mates Brewing scoring the fourth most popular beer in the country with its tropical pale ale Larry. It also scored another three in the top 100, along with 10 Toes Brewing and Heads of Noosa also scoring well.

OK, so awards don’t impress you? How about

experience then? The two brewers at Eumundi Brewery, Chris Sheehan and Allan Tilden, have more than 30 years’ brewing experience between them (that makes them sound ancient but in actual fact they are in their 40s and 30s respectively). Having such experienced brewers based here has been a huge help and support to all of the other breweries on the Sunshine Coast.

Also worth noting is that later this year Twin Waters on the Sunshine Coast will play host to BrewCon, and with it the brewing royalty from across the nation. BrewCon is the Australian brewing industry’s keystone event and is growing to be an education and trade event of international significance.

Have I convinced you yet?

Whether you like beer or not, what we have here on the Sunshine Coast is a thriving industry that provides many local jobs, and also brings visitors and tourism dollars to our region.

It is something we should recognise and support as it really is putting the Sunshine Coast on the map for a host of reasons. I’m just making the call now, the Sunshine Coast is the Craft Beer Capital of Australia.

Support local business, drink local beer.

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21

COMMUNITY NEWS

Currimundi

Bli Bli

Kawana/Maroochydore

New amenities block

Hearing support

Dealing with dementia

Grahame Stewart Park in Currimundi is now home to the region’s first Changing Places public amenities block, catering for people with high support needs who can’t use accessible toilets.

The new facility includes a shower, adult-size change table, ceiling hoist, toilet privacy screen and additional circulation space.

“There are 158 Changing Places in Australia and I’m proud the Sunshine Coast can now be added to the map,” Councillor Peter Cox said.

The $200,000 project was delivered by council thanks to the Queensland Government’s Unite and Recover Community Stimulus Package.

Pictured are mayor Mark Jamieson and Cr Cox.

The next meet-up of the Cochlear Implant and Hearing Loss Support Group is on Tuesday, February 23, from 10am at the Sunshine Castle Cafe in Bli Bli. If you or a friend or family member are struggling to hear with hearing aids and are considering a cochlear implant, or you just have hearing loss and would like to meet others who understand what it’s like, this free group is for you.

All are welcome. For more details email pennyphillips1@bigpond.com or text 0421 328 909.

Are you concerned about your memory, or do you or someone you know have dementia? Dementia Australia is running sessions at Kawana and Maroochydore from February 22-25.

The Dementia Australia courses are an opportunity for people living with dementia and carers to attend free education sessions to discuss the support and services it can provide.

There are five courses on offer covering different topics.

Bookings are essential. Visit dementia.org.au/brainhub/ sunshinecoast for details and to register.

Not able to attend? Dementia Australia is still there for you.

Phone 1800 100 500 or visit dementia.org.au.

Noosa

Caloundra

All aboard

Celebration of women

Honouring green thumbs

The Sunshine Coast Model Railway Club will hold a model train display and sale day at the Uniting Church Hall in Queen St, Caloundra, from 8.30am-1pm on Saturday, March 27.

The club will have its T-track layout operating.

There will be 30 vendors offering new and pre-loved locomotives, rolling stock and railway accessories. A track will be available to test purchased locomotives.

There will be a raffle, food and drinks, and free railway magazines. Admission is free.

The Zonta Club of Noosa is hosting an International Women’s Day breakfast at the Boathouse Restaurant on Gympie Tce at 7.30am on Monday, March 8.

The guest speakers will be Dr Nova Evans and Sonia Goodwin from Sunny Street, a GP and nurse-led mobile outreach unit providing healthcare for homeless and vulnerable individuals and families on the Sunshine Coast.

Zonta International is a global service organisation of executives in business and the professions working together to advance the status of women through service and advocacy.

Tickets are $48. Visit trybooking.com/BNYEF.

Now is the time to nominate a young eco-warrior for the Les Hall Young Conservationist Award.

Nominations are open until February 28 for those 18 years or younger who worked on a project that improved the environment for local species.

It might be a team or individual who’s striving for change at their school, or going above and beyond to protect a native animal.

Dr Les Hall passed away in 2019 after 40 years of achievements in the zoology world.

To nominate visit sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/leshallawards.

The winner will be announced in June.

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In

COMMUNITY NEWS

Noosa

Latest release

Award recognition

Aussie celebration

“Karla the coolest koala in Noosa” has launched her second book, Karla to the Rescue. In this adventure, Karla and Chloe the kangaroo head towards the local bushfires to lend a paw where they can.

The story is a tribute to all those who worked tirelessly to save habitats and homes in 2019-20. The magic of watercolours

by Linda ‘Lili’ Willis and rhyming verses by Elizabeth ‘Fizzi’ Reynolds (pictured) bring the story to life.

Mayor Clare Stewart formally launched the book, while state MP Sandy Bolton delighted young guests with a reading.

Fire crews and Arlo the koala from Wildlife HQ also attended.

Visit karlathekoala.com.au.

Nominations are now open for the fourth annual Fisher Community Awards, organised by Federal Member for Fisher Andrew Wallace.

This year’s ceremony will recognise winners from 2019-20 as well as the past year, after the 2020 ceremony was cancelled due to COVID. Mr Wallace said the awards would recognise organisations and individuals who have made a difference through the pandemic in the fields of education, employment and retirement.

Nominations in each of nine categories can be made at andrewwallacemp.com.au/awards until February 26.

Pictured are the winners in 2019.

Friendship Force Sunshine Coast’s first meeting for 2021 at the Mapleton Men’s Shed celebrated Australia Day with mateship, Aussie food such as damper, and songs such as I Am Australian and Waltzing Matilda.

The club is part of Friendship Force International, a nonprofit organisation that promotes cultural understanding and exchanges through home-stay journeys. There are 23 clubs in Australia and over 300 worldwide.

Due to restrictions impacting activities, the club has focused on friendships among local members and journeys within the local region.

Visit friendshipforcesunshinecoast.org.au or phone 5471 7338.

Pictured is president David Allan welcoming new members.

Tony’s talk

Renovation project

Happy snaps

Former Noosa mayor Tony Wellington is launching a new book, Wild About Noosa, which celebrates the diverse range of wildlife in the area.

A footpath soiree, including a talk by Tony with wine and cheese, will be held on February 18 from 6pm at Annie’s Books on Peregian.

With superb colour photographs and text from Tony, the new book is a passionate ode to a much-loved locale. Birds, mammals, reptiles and insects are all featured in the spectacular coffee-table, hard-cover book. He previously released Noosa & Cooloola: Celebrating 50 Years of Noosa Parks Association in 2014.

Visit anniesbooksonperegian.com.au.

A business with three locations on the Sunshine Coast has launched a Helping Hand Project, giving local community groups, charities or businesses an opportunity to revamp their premises.

After a year full of challenges caused by COVID, Haymes Paint Shop’s initiative provides it with an opportunity to give back to the local community.

Applications are now open for three groups or businesses in each store’s area to win a supply of Haymes Paint products to freshen up their local premises. There are stores Coolum, Noosaville and Currimundi.

Applications close on February 26. Visit haymespaintshop.com.au/helpinghand.

Sunshine Coast Passport Rotary has launched its Children’s Photo Competition. The themes are animals and/or the environment, and portraits. Judges are looking for images reflecting Rotary’s new area of focus, “Protecting the environment”.

The major prize is a Nikon Z50 Camera.

For those looking for some guidance on the competition, basic composition and what constitutes a good image, workshops are available on March 4 and 18 in Maroochydore.

The competition is open to primary and secondary school children on the Sunshine Coast, and entrants are encouraged to take photos locally.

Entries close on May 3. Visit photocomp.sunshinecoast passportrotary.org.

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23

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 2021

A time to celebrate and reflect Paula Gowland

My name is Janeene Cooke and I am the owner of Fabric Patch.

I have been sewing since I was 12 years old; I am a mother of four with a love of sewing and crafting.

In the year 2000 I moved with my family to a remote town in Indonesia where I learnt to quilt. I made 13 quilts in four years. In 2004 we moved to the Sunshine Coast to live.

Living on the Sunshine Coast we wanted to buy and run a local business. My husband really wanted a 'manly' type of business but in 2012, my dream business, Fabric Patch, was for sale.

Fabric Patch is an online business stocking an extensive range of patchwork fabrics, patterns, books, notions and trims.

I love what I do and my aim is to please my customers by providing great products, service and advice. Please give us a call to book a time to come and see our store.

In mere seconds, everything that you know about your life can be turned on its head.

My name is Paula, general manager of Sunshine Coast Art and Framing Gallery, and I would like to share with you the experience that changed my life forever.

In 2014 I suffered a broken tibia. This fracture led to a series of complications and 24 surgeries that ultimately ended with amputation and 758 days in hospital.

Enduring such an experience forces oneself to evaluate what is truly important. My meaning and purpose were challenged in a way that I never thought possible.

Although grim, this is not the end of my story.

Through gratitude, conviction, support and belief, my family and I were able to overcome great adversity.

I have learnt to endure extreme pain, cope with mental illness, and construct a positive outlook on life from this experience. In the spirit of International Women’s Day, I often think of this saying: “Embrace change, as things always happen for a reason, and sometimes it can make your life better.”

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FEBRUARY 2021 SUNNY COAST TIMES

rt Kathryn Stua

ir Karen Mu

Kirsten O’Mall

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Janeene Cooke

in Victoria McGu

by CHRIS GILMORE Editor

“H

uman rights are women's rights, and women's rights are human rights, once and for all.”

Those were the words spoken 26 years ago by then-American First Lady Hillary Clinton, and they remain as important and relevant as ever.

As we prepare to mark International Women’s Day on March 8, it is a time to celebrate the achievements of women in all aspects of life, and to reflect on the continuing need to strive for gender equality. Since 1911, it has been a day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political accomplishments of women all over the world.

This year more than ever, it is crucial we recognise the need for gender equality. According to UN Women Australia, which hosts International Women’s Day events around the country, the COVID pandemic has eroded the limited progress that had been made in recent years. It says women are facing increased rates of domestic violence, which it calls the Shadow Pandemic of Violence; they are over-represented in casual workforces and hence more vulnerable to shutdowns; and, on average, they take on more than three times the burden of caring compared with men.

The theme this year is ‘Women in Leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world’. It is a celebration of the efforts of women around the world in making decisions and shaping our future.

As such, the Sunny Coast Times is celebrating the women who are making a valuable contribution to our wonderful community. They are the women who are excelling in their chosen fields thanks to their courage and determination; who inspire, lead and are committed to making a difference every day.

Here at Sunny Coast Media, the umbrella company of the Sunny Coast Times, we have four brilliant women performing diverse and vital roles – exactly half our staff. We have production manager Karen Muir, account executives Kath Stuart and Kirsten O’Malley, and over at our sister paper the Hinterland Times, we have editor Victoria McGuin. They are each outstanding colleagues and an honour to work with.

“If you have ideas, tenacity, intelligence and a decent sense of humour, you’re a valuable part of the team, whether female or male. I like the equality of that,” Victoria says.

“I love being a woman, but I want the quality of my work to define me at Sunny Coast Media, rather than my gender. Happily, I think it does, both for myself and my female colleagues in their roles.”

So as we prepare for International Women’s Day, I hope you will join me in celebrating the achievements of women around the Coast and all over the world, and work to continue to knock down the walls of gender inequality.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 2021

Christine Lynn

Natalie Miller

Katherine Allan

When Christine Lynn had to review her career during the stand-down of COVID, she decided she needed to create a job that would help the community.

Christine put her extensive retail experience into action and created White Tigress and Co, an independent op shop located two doors up from Coles Coolum.

White Tigress is proud to be supporting SunnyKids in helping women and families on the Sunshine Coast affected by the diversity of domestic violence.

Her shop may look like a boutique but it sells something for everyone: kids’, ladies’ and men’s clothing and accessories starting from just $1; a ladies’ designer wall for that something special; home decor; toys; costumes; linen and a great selection of jewellery.

Come and support White Tigress and Co – mention this ad and buy any item to get the second item of equal or lesser value for free.

Natalie Miller, long-term Noosa local and creative director of holster, has made a lifelong passion of inspiring others to choose vegan footwear.

The company began when Natalie and her partner Ben identified a gap in the market to provide women with glamorous, vegan designs. Production began and interest quickly spread. Customers loved the high-quality, statement designs and felt comfortable supporting an Australian-owned and designed label committed to foot health.

Celebrating 20 years of operation this year, holster has grown from its Noosa boutique and online store to being stocked in hundreds of boutiques globally. Expansion continued to Thailand, Vietnam and South Africa, which is the tip of the iceberg for Natalie as she continues to push design boundaries, introducing technical elements with the aim of seeing holster become the world’s must-have footwear brand for women and children.

From the green hills of Ireland to the rolling Caloundra surf, Katherine Allan has risen through the ranks to become one of the most powerful figures in Sunshine Coast real estate.

Now general manager at Henzells Agency, Katherine has presided over an era of strong growth for the business, highlighted most recently by driving record holiday, leasing and sales results through the difficult COVID-19 period.

A strong advocate for workplace equality, she has been a mentor for women achieving great things in the industry.

Katherine started with Henzells in 2005 as an admin assistant where her strong customer service skills and attention to detail brought quick advancement to administration manager, operations manager and promotion to the top job in 2021.

In 2009, Katherine received the Bevan Henzell Award for exceptional service and in 2017 she won the Henzells Agency Award in appreciation of her contribution to the agency’s success.

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25

Support hospice and win a car

Alistair and Santina Cook.

Image by Ross Eason

K

atie Rose Cottage Hospice has launched its first car lottery to help raise funds for the service in the wake of the pandemic.

A lucky winner will take home a new VW Polo thanks to Cricks VW Maroochydore. The second prize will be $3000 cash and third will be $1000 cash.

“This, our very first car lottery, will raise much-needed funds for our hospice following fundraising losses last year due to COVID 19,” hospice chairperson Carol Raye says. “(It will) also help raise awareness of the invaluable service we provide to the Sunshine Coast community.”

As an accredited, not-for-profit charity, Katie Rose Cottage Hospice provides end-of-life care to those most vulnerable in our community. It has been operating 24/7 for two years, in which time it has cared for more than 130 guests and supported their families at no cost.

The service is provided by dedicated and professional registered nurses and carers who specialise in terminal, end-oflife care. They are supported by a team of 270-plus volunteers who generously donate their time for roles including personal carers, gardeners, admin staff, hospice support teams and op shop and warehouse staff.

The lottery will be drawn on Friday, April 30. Only 3500 tickets will be sold at $20 each, or a book of 10 will cost $150.

Tickets will be available at the hospice’s op shops at Noosaville, Tewantin, Cooroy and Maroochydore.

Katrina Dargie from Katie Rose Cottage Hospice with Cricks VW Maroochydore dealer principal Dean Stewart

Long-time foundation sponsors recognised W

hen the Buderim Foundation launched in 2004, Alistair and Santina Cook from Buderim Pharmacy came on board as inaugural sponsors. Now, the foundation is paying tribute to their valuable contribution, which continues to this day.

Alistair said he and Santina believed strongly in the foundation concept from the outset. Their sponsorship has helped to pay for all the foundation’s administration and operational expenses without the need to draw on any of the donor income.

“Pleasingly, these views have only been reinforced with the passage of time,” Alistair says.

The Cooks have gone on to become a big part of the foundation family. They are on hand each year to help hand out annual grants, attend foundation events and to promote the value of the foundation in the community via their personal and business network.

“There’s no question that this long-term sponsorship has been a major contributing factor to the organisation’s growth and success,” foundation chair Professor Russell Stitz says.

“In these days of constant changes, especially in the world of business, I wonder if in fact, it might be a Sunshine Coast record for major continuous sponsorship of one organisation? And what better sponsor partner to have on

Carer Gateway gives you access to a range of free services and supports to help you when you are caring for someone else. Services include support planning, counselling, peer support, nancial packages and emergency respite.

If you support a family member or friend who has a disability, mental health condition, chronic health condition, terminal illness, or is frail aged these services are for you.

Call 1800 422 737 or visit carergateway.gov.au to nd out more.

Wellways works with individuals, families and the community to help them imagine and achieve better lives. We have been supporting carers for the past 40 years and continue to do this across Queensland and the New South Wales regions of South West Sydney and Nepean Blue Mountains via Carer Gateway. Carer Gateway is a national service funded by the Australian Government.

26

FEBRUARY 2021 SUNNY COAST TIMES

board than Buderim Pharmacy.”

Since 2004, the Buderim Foundation has awarded grants worth $636,942 to 82 community organisations in the 4556 postcode area.

Alongside the foundation’s growing family of donors, ambassadors and volunteers, two other businesses round out its ongoing sponsor support program: EdenLea on Buderim and Sunshine Toyota.

“This three-sponsor policy has been in place for many years now and like all partnerships of this kind, it has yielded significant benefits for both the businesses involved and for the organisation,” Prof Stitz says.

“For the sponsors it means stronger recognition of the support provided than would be the case if more sponsors were involved. It also means each sponsor can proudly say that because of the foundation’s grant distribution role, they are indirectly supporting the whole Buderim community by supporting the Buderim Foundation in this way. And for the foundation, it challenges us to keep a tight rein on our operating and administration costs.

“Of course, our army of wonderful volunteers helps massively in this regard. It also allows us to be more creative, clearer and efficient as we strive to recognise and promote these worthy supporters.”

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‘All you can do is do your best’

F

irst a motorbike accident, then a cancer diagnosis – but Dylan Theuerkauf has not let his setbacks stop him working to make the community a better place.

During his recovery, an opportunity with STEPS Education and Training came up and he enrolled in the Youth Care Sunshine Coast Certificate III in Individual Support. Now, the 25-year-old (pictured) has graduated and is realising his dream on the Sunshine Coast as a support worker.

Three years ago Dylan was a typical 22-year-old living on the Sunshine Coast and enjoying the lifestyle such a place has to offer, but in a moment his life was turned upside down.

“I was on a dirt bike (near Gympie),” he says. “I loved dirt bike riding; I was obsessed with it. It was my new motorbike and I was really obsessed with it. It was this dream motorbike I’d always wanted it my whole life and then I’d finally gotten it.

“It was a bit too fast for what I could comprehend, it was a bit too quick.”

What happened next nearly took Dylan’s life.

“I don’t remember much; I really don’t remember the whole week,” he says. “I smashed my skull and I was in an induced coma for about 12 days. I had heart surgery because I broke six ribs and one of my ribs pierced the main muscle to my heart. I broke my pelvis in three different places, I broke my hip and I’ve got a steel rod in my leg. I had a fractured skull and a few other things.”

“I lacerated my urethra and I needed urethral surgery, I spent about 10 months with a catheter on. That was one of the most horrible things I’ve ever experienced, just 10 months of constant pain.”

As Dylan began to recover from his injuries, he saw an opportunity to enrol in university. With the application submitted, weeks later the unthinkable happened.

“I applied for uni and then I got diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma,” he says. “I was first diagnosed sometime last year, I can’t remember exactly when. Chemo brain messed me up a bit. I don’t remember much of that.”

But despite his setbacks, Dylan was determined to make the most of his situation.

“All you can do is do your best and keep moving forward because there is always a good outcome no matter how bad

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things seem, there’s always someone out there that is worse off than you,” he says.

During his recovery from the motorbike accident, Dylan got in touch with STEPS Employment Services in Nambour.

It provided him with an avenue to remain engaged, and throughout his chemotherapy treatment he kept his appointments and continued to turn up.

“There were times throughout Dylan’s treatment and chemotherapy where he couldn’t work but he was still engaging with us,” Dylan’s employment solutions partner Lance Shiels says.

“He was still coming in for appointments to connect which was really good. It comes back to Dylan’s determination to keep on coming in and engaging.”

That’s when the opportunity with STEPS came up.

“I could do something towards becoming an occupational therapist and help other people that have been through similar things to what I’ve been through,” Dylan says. “I can empathise and understand what others are going through … I just want to help other people, just lift other people up. It costs nothing to be a good human, so I just want to be good to other people. It’s what’s it’s all about at the end of the day. I understand what it’s like to go through all of that and to be able to help other people, you know; you kind of know so it makes sense.”

Dylan paid tribute to the support provided by STEPS trainers, who helped him succeed in his studies and achieve his goal of becoming qualified.

“It was good, there was a lot of support, so it was helpful,” he says. “The computer stuff I fell a bit behind on because I’m not much into computers, but I got the support I needed to help me get through, it’s all in asking for help.

“When you have a bit of ambition and some goals, you just push through because you know that waking up another day is another day for a new opportunity.”

If you’re interested in the Youth Care program and training to become a support worker, email youthcare@stepsgroup.com.au or phone 5436 6000.

Rescued seahorse released back to sea

A

seahorse has been released back into the ocean after being found washed up on the beach.

The seahorse was brought to SEA LIFE Sunshine Coast for care on New Year’s Eve after being found by the Kawana Surf and Life Saving Club. Naturally, the SEA LIFE team named her “Eve”.

Eve had a few spines and was identified as a juvenile Queensland seahorse (Hippocampus queenslandicus).

The Sunshine Coast is home to several seahorse species including the high-crown seahorse that is known to occupy areas between Hervey Bay and Moreton Bay, the common seahorse, longnose seahorse and White’s seahorse.

Eve was looked after by the animal care team, who ensured she was well enough to venture back into the ocean, before being released on low tide at Mooloolaba Beach in January.

Pictured is aquarist Denice Askebrink with Eve before her release.

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FEBRUARY 2021 SUNNY COAST TIMES

SUNNY COAST MEDIA

ANNOUNCEMENT At Sunny Coast Media we have recently begun accepting Qoin digital currency as a form of payment for advertising in both the Sunny Coast Times and Hinterland Times publications.

To celebrate this, we are giving away 50 Qoin ($300 approx value at time of print) to all new Qoin merchants for use on advertising in either of our publications.

S UNNY COAST TIMES

Scan the QR code to find out more and apply.

Limited availability and t & c’s apply.

FEBRUARY 2021 SUNNY COAST TIMES

29

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Coincidence or consequence? Keep debate going As the debate about changing the date of Australia Day subsides, until next year, it should be noted that the Prime Minister dismissed the growing objections to our national day celebrating the establishment of the penal colony in Sydney and dispossession of the First Nations people.

Indeed, he even trivialised what many Indigenous people see as an invasion of their country of over 60,000 years, by saying that it wasn’t a “particularly flash day” for the new arrivals.

Many non-Indigenous Australians now understand it wasn’t a “particularly flash day” for the original inhabitants either.

We have only had a public holiday on January 26 since 1994, so not a long-standing tradition. Let’s keep the debate going and perhaps select a new date for an inclusive national day to bring us all together.

Robyn Deane, Bli Bli

We would love you to share your thoughts and experiences with us and our readers.

Email editor@sunnycoastmedia.com.au.

Please include your name, location and contact details (for verification, not to be published). Letters may be edited. As we are a monthly publication, we are unable to print time-sensitive letters.

Crossword No. 308 Across

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

13 14 16 19 21 24 25 26

D-Day beach (5) Navy vessel (7) Spoiled child (4) World's longest river (4) Autopsy (4-6) Wool fat (7) Private room on a passenger ship (9) Hollywood (10) Stub (5) Economic decline (9) Severe (7) Uppercase (7) Cub leader (5) Entreaty (4) Keen on (4)

Crossword answers:

FEBRUARY 2021 SUNNY COAST TIMES

Down

Across: 1 Cobweb, 5 Nepalese, 9 Hairball, 10 Suntan, 11 Maths, 12 Implied, 15 Proprietor, 17 Neon, 18 Acid, 20 Summer camp, 22 Israeli, 23 Splay, 27 Bistro, 28 Lengthen, 29 Anaconda, 30 Oilman.

30

Maggie

1. The flag of which country is known as “Old Glory”?

2. In Australian slang, what are “tin lids”?

3. Which capital city is closest to Yass?

4. What is the IATA code for Brisbane Airport?

5. What body part is an anagram of “elation”?

6. What kind of animal is a ladybird?

7. In 2020, what sports team did Chris Fagan coach?

8. In which 1961 movie did the song Moon River feature?

9. What mode of transport utilises a rowlock?

10. The young of what bird is called a squab?

11. Which human finger is furthest from the thumb?

12. What is the angle between north-east and south-east?

13. What was the third word in the 1960s slogan “Beanz meanz …”?

14. Where in this sentence is a tittle found?

15. The landmark known as Cook’s Cottage or Captain Cook’s Cottage is in which Australian city?

16. How many zeros are in the number one hundred million?

17. What colour are Australia Post’s Express Post boxes?

18. What is the southern terminus of Queensland’s Tilt Train?

19. What type of substance is organdie?

20. Huron, Superior, Michigan and Erie are part of what geographical feature of North America?

Down: 2 Omaha, 3 Warship, 4 Brat, 5 Nile, 6 Post-mortem, 7 Lanolin, 8 Stateroom, 13 Tinseltown, 14 Stump, 16 Recession, 19 Drastic, 21 Capital, 24 Akela, 25 Plea, 26 Into.

Leunig

Gossamer (6) Like many Sherpas (8) Affliction of cats and other fur-lickers (8) Skin condition sought by beachgoers (6) Science of logic, quantity, shape and arrangement (Abbr.) (5) Tacit (7) Owner of a business (10) Inert gaseous element (4) Sour (4) Place for American children in the holidays (6,4) Galilee native (7) Spread out (5) Small restaurant (6) Elongate (8) South American boa (8) Person in the petroleum industry (6))

with Allan Blackburn

Trivia answers:

1 5 9

10

11

12 15 17 18 20

22 23 27 28 29 30

Trivia question

1. USA 2. Kids 3. Canberra 4. BNE 5. Toenail 6. Beetle (insect) 7. Brisbane Lions 8. Breakfast at Tiffany’s 9. Rowing boat 10. Pigeon 11. Little finger 12. 90 degrees 13. Heinz 14. Dot above “i” 15. Melbourne 16. 8 17. Yellow 18. Brisbane 19. Cotton fabric 20. Great Lakes

After reading a letter in your November issue (‘Slow down’) regarding the speed and dangerous road from the base of Hunchy Rd into Palmwoods, I also contacted the council and the Department of Transport and Main Roads. I received a call from the latter that was extremely informative and courteous.

I found out there had been nine recorded crashes on the corners between Blackbutt Rd and Hardings Rd, and it was listed as a Black Spot candidate, with a case to potentially widen sections of the road. Despite a push for a 60 zone there, the response had come back as a ‘no’, sadly.

The impression I received was that despite the gentlemen I spoke to thinking Hunchy Rd was a worthy candidate due to its risk to cyclists and locals, it didn’t look promising. He was planning to add my concerns to those that had been lodged. I appreciated his information and honesty.

Since my conversation, however, we have recently received a letter from the council saying that Hunchy Rd is having “curve widening and road rehabilitation works” – so we are very happy with this outcome.

Thanks to all those who have been concerned enough to contact the relevant departments, to the department for listening, and to Councillor Winston Johnson, who informed us of this news.

I only hope the widening and rehabilitation is substantial enough for cyclists and locals to be clearly seen and feel a little safer, without immediate regrowth of our enthusiastic Australian vegetation hampering results.

Malcolm Bennett, Hunchy

POET'S CORNER

BLACK DOG

JOURNEY TO DENTURES

IN THE QUIET OF THE NIGHT

Black Dog

At 19 I worked for a dentist,

Brain fog

It was never on my to do list,

Brazen youth basking in the rays of forgetfulness

My wisdom teeth needed seeing to,

Cautious pensioner imprisoned by adolescent memories

He needing a nurse said I think you'll do,

They’re both connected along the same dotted timeline

You've a really wonderful personality,

One at the beginning

Please will you come work for me,

One nearing the end

He told me I had a pyrea in my gums,

Same changing skies

Chest tightening Feels frightening BUT IT’S OK With one hand on my heart to anchor self-love partnering this feeling like a soothing glove

Exactly what happened to my mums,

the other on my belly for comfort and ease

It was in Strathfield a suburb of Sydney,

And “its ok,

Where we did theatre work every Friday,

I’m here for you”

As all the remaining teeth were pulled out,

and with this I breathe

I'd be moving the blood sucker about,

I remind myself, in this moment “this too shall pass “ these difficult feelings don’t usually last and soon enough there it is the positive chord from minor to major a grounding rhythm heralded by nature the arc of the rainbow soft pink dawn a beginning to the end of the dark and the storm

Straight in would go the new denture plate,

WAITING ROOM EXIT AFTER SURGERY This is the room that we wait not in vain, For our loved ones relieved of their suffering and pain.

We wait here with faith, in the surgeon we trust, With hope from above, not a doubt, it's a must.

The creator of all things, He sets the pace, For each of His loved ones to be in this race.

When the doors of the theater opens so wide, The joy in our hearts, is so hard to hide.

What do you want to want?

Can we both learn from each other?

Or will wisdom wilt As our memories melt One heart burns out the sun The other coddles the moon

Geez hope that never happens to me mate,

In the quiet of the night, you lay in your bowery

But years down the track its meant to be,

Wakened by your random dreams;

Dentures are really the only way for me,

That’s who you are

My dentist wouldn't let me get anesthetized,

A piece in the puzzle

Oh my gosh I was so traumatized,

A realization so humble...

The last 10 teeth all out at once ,

Contented, you sleep

With just needles I tried not to wince,

Youth and age forge on

There only false teeth so i got over it,…

Embracing the next dawn

Now it doesn't really matter a bit. © Wenz Blew

© Zoe Strickland

Night and day

THE UNICORN One day I saw a unicorn, playful, wild and free I stopped to watch him scampering, unaware of me He rolled and frolicked in the grass, just like in a dream Then he rested for a while, before splashing in a stream I watched him idly grazing, before he cantered up the hill Then I called out in terror “Stop, don’t move, be still” For I beheld a trophy hunter, with a camera and a gun Looking for a life to take, to kill in the name of fun Too late he spied my unicorn, he had him in his sight I heard the shot, I still can hear its echo in the night I heard the shooter’s cry of joy, and laughter without mirth So proud that he had killed this last rare beast on earth “Why oh why?” I asked this mindless, heartless man He gave a smug and cruel sneer and said “Because I can”. © Denzil Nash

Repeat…ad infinitum… © Stephen Estella

THE LAST TIME You turned, and waved, and then you were gone.

Like the sun falling over the horizon, leaving an imprint, a lasting impression, a retinal image …you were here.

It is the suddenness that jolts, the random fickleness of life, the shock of instant loss.

Here in the moment, gone with a breath.

You are captured forever, foremost within us, in that moment …the last time. © Wendy Keeton

Thanks to the Doctors and Nurses with skills, They exchanged all our fears with such wonderful thrills.

Send us your poems – we love receiving your creative work!

Thanks to all doctors, nurses and staff

To submit your work for possible publication email editor@sunnycoastmedia.com.au.

Word limit per poem (due to space) is 300 words.

© H.R.Buckpitt

FEBRUARY 2021 SUNNY COAST TIMES

31

CREATIVE CUTS SUNNY COAST TIMES

Jodi Casey with some of her artwork

Artists ready to open their doors

T

he work of more than 60 artists will be on show in March for the week-long Open Studios Sunshine Coast.

Designed to showcase local artists in their working environment, the event provides art lovers and collectors a glimpse behind the scenes and the opportunity to purchase directly from the makers.

Artists will showcase their skills in disciplines including ceramics, drawing, glass, mixed media, painting, photography, print, sculpture, textiles, metalwork, woodwork, jewellery, installation, printmaking and more.

“This year's event will be bigger than ever,” event co-ordinator Toni Eggleston says. “Previously a hinterland event, we have extended the program and trail to include the whole Sunshine Coast Regional Council area from Caloundra to Coolum. This has allowed us to access a richer pool of talent and to provide a more diverse experience for visitors.

“One of the things attendees always comment on, apart from meeting the artists, is how much they enjoy seeing the maker spaces, which can be anything from a backyard shed to

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a converted shipping container, warehouse, gallery studio or garden retreat. Visitors will be fascinated by spaces from which artists explore their inspiration and create.”

Visitors are encouraged to take self-guided tours where they have the opportunity to meet local artists, purchase art, participate in workshops and gain a new appreciation for the creativity of the region’s art talent. It is also am opportunity to see works of art and studios that are not normally available for public viewing.

Just one of the many artists to be opening their studio is Jodi Casey, who recycles and repurposes materials from a studio in Maroochydore.

“I have always loved the diversity of art in all its forms,” she says. “I initially started creating pieces in my shed for family and friends about four years ago my art technique grew from there.

“Rusty tools and metal are the perfect eye candy for me.

There is just something about rust that draws me in and the possibility of its use for something artistic is endless. I especially love working with camphor laurel as no two pieces are alike and the timber has a lovely aroma when working with it.

“My heart goes into every piece and creating something sentimental for someone inspires me.”

Open Studios Sunshine Coast is an initiative of Arts Connect Inc and was established in 2010. The project is supported by the Sunshine Coast Council’s grant program.

The overall program runs from March 20-28, with hinterland studios open on March 20-21 and Coast studios open on March 27-28. Workshops will run from March 22-26.

To plan your week or book a workshop visit openstudiossunshinecoast.com.au.

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FEBRUARY 2021 SUNNY COAST TIMES

CREATIVE CUTS

A glimpse into rural bliss

A

collection of photographs that focus on children running wild on a remote property in the Sunshine Coast hinterland will feature at the Butter Factory Arts Centre in Cooroy from February 19.

Tewantin artist Katrina Lezaic’s exhibition Hill Spirits exposes the rarely seen intimacy of a rural childhood, captured at a property at Kin Kin. “The images were spontaneously taken while watching our children playing and growing up together and running wild in this truly unique Australian landscape,” she says. “I like to make art out of the everyday and the ordinary, and I photograph the things that are close to me and the things that I love.”

Katrina, 41, says she developed an attachment to the land during her time living in the hinterland.

“I lived in Cooran 15 years ago for a year and connected with people in the hinterland community during that time,” she says. “I then moved to Sydney for 12 years, but maintained those connections and would visit and stay in Kin Kin. Trips away from the city to my friend's farm where the photographs were taken were always like entering an alternative reality, but one I felt so grateful to be invited into. My friend has a great reverence for nature and for living with a lighter footprint. On her farm, I find a special power in the isolation, and in how nature takes over.

“The photographs are printed on sustainable bamboo paper with water-based inks, to acknowledge the philosophies of sustainability synonymous with her land, respect for the property of others and the fleeting nature of new time.”

The title Hill Spirits pays homage to the history on the land the photos were taken on.

Hill Spirits #1

Hill Spirits #3

Hill Spirits #4

Hill Spirits #13

“The property was originally part of a commune called Hill Spirits, while the title also speaks to the Indigenous ancestors who've always lived here,” she says.

Katrina, who studied at the College of Fine Arts in Sydney, has exhibited her photographic work in Sydney since 2017, with shows at the Bondi Pavilion Gallery, Gaffa, the City Recital Hall and Manly Art Gallery and Museum, as well as art residencies in Bondi and Paddington. She has also been a freelance writer and reporter for newspapers for more than a decade.

Cooroy Butter Factory Arts Centre co-ordinator Alicia Sharples says Katrina’s work will captivate audiences.

"Katrina's photography work is striking and creates an opportunity for the viewer to pause,” she says. “By capturing fleeting moments of time in her everyday life, Katrina has given the subject matter a timelessness, hence the work is very relatable and immediately nostalgic.

“With some very full group exhibitions on show lately, the BFAC is looking forward to slowing down the audience with three solo shows by local female artists Katrina Lezaic, Beatrice Prost and Barbora Tomikovc.”

The exhibition runs until March 21. Visit butterfactoryartscentre.com.au. Opening night tickets must be booked via the exhibitions web page.

Photographer Katrina Lezaic

FEBRUARY 2021 SUNNY COAST TIMES

33

CREATIVE CUTS EDUCATION

Coast TV show goes global

by CHRIS GILMORE

T

elevision fans around the world will be able to get an upclose look at the Sunny Coast thanks to a locally produced television series that has been picked up by a major American distribution company.

Hard Knock Life creator Laree Gadenne says the show – which consists of a six-episode first season – has been signed

by Los Angeles-based Echelon Studios and will be available on streaming platforms including Amazon Prime in the US and UK, as well as worldwide services Tubi and Plex. She is also in negotiations with another major streaming platform for licensing in other countries.

Laree says the distribution deal will get more people watching and engaging in the show, which will help to secure funding for season two and create film industry jobs on the Coast.

“We have hit some big goals with season one already and are aiming high to launch season two on more major platforms,” she says. “We are unsure of when this will be, however we have a good chance as our audience numbers increase considering the show is tracking very well on Amazon, Tubi and Plex on a global scale.”

Laree, 33, who lives in the Caloundra area, says she was always into dancing and acting from a young age. She has received scholarships to the Millennium Dance Complex in Los Angeles and the New York Conservatory of Dramatic Arts, and worked on TV shows and movies in the UK. She

The cast of Hard Knock Life (from left) Laree Gadenne, Daniel Goodwin, Mollie Maher and Kurt Menary

moved back to the Coast in 2016, launching her own talent agency and production company called Karizmatik.

The sitcom, which Laree writes and directs, is based around the lives of four friends as they uncover the shocking moments of first dates gone wrong and relationship nightmares. Laree plays the role of Ella, with Maddy played by Mollie Maher, Callum played by Daniel Goodwin and Blake played by Kurt Menary. She says her inspiration comes from years of real-life experiences that have happened to herself, friends and friends of friends.

“I kept saying to my friends for years, after they would tell me a crazy story about what a guy did, that I have to write a show about it because it would just be so funny and so many people could relate to it,” she says.

The show has been helpful for Coast locals keen to get into film and television, with on-the-job training for aspiring cast and crew wanting to learn more about the industry. The series also features songs by local musicians including Dubarray, Mish Shell and Laree's husband Jason Fichera.

“Most of the project was funded out of our own pockets,” Laree says. “We did receive a small amount of funding from the Sunshine Coast Council to help get the project off the ground. We were very lucky to have a large number of the local community who just wanted to get involved and gain experience from working on a major production so they donated their time for free.”

openstudiossunshinecoast

For her efforts in the entertainment industry, Laree was a nominee in the Citizen and Creative category of this year’s Sunshine Coast Council Australia Day Awards.

“It's nice to be recognised for the hard work I have put into creating, developing and promoting this local series,” she says.

“There is a lot of work done behind the scenes that people don't see, the long hours and late nights spent on your passion to bring it to life.”

Hard Knock Life can be watched in Australia for free on Tubi or Plex. Visit tubitv.com/series/4781 or mediaverse.plex.tv/show/ hard-knock-life-2. For updates and audition notices for the show visit facebook.com/hardknocklifetv.

Collectorama NAMBOUR SHOWGROUNDS Coronation Avenue

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Sat. MAR 6, 2021 FREE PARKING

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FOOD TRUCKS

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34

ATM ON SITE

Tom & Laurie Wall e: lauriewall@Iive.com.au

0418 744 887

CREATIVE CUTS

Festival set to return with a bang

N

OOSA alive! will be back for its 20th year this July after a COVID-enforced hiatus in 2020 – and it all starts with a special ‘teaser’ program in March.

Festival president Andrew Squires says the Reignite program, which runs from March 11-13, is a chance to bring the community together again, to be entertained and to enjoy the arts and culture that NOOSA alive! has been renowned for presenting over the past 20 years.

“It’s very much community-based, to support the community getting back up after all the hard times we had after the fires and COVID, hence we’ve called it Reignite 2021,” he says.

“It’s a good way to get NOOSA alive! back into the community again and let people know NOOSA alive! is still here, still moving forward and here to stay.”

Renowned playwright and long-time Noosa resident David Williamson, who was one of the co-founders of the festival, is delighted to see the festival returning.

“It’s great to see it up and running again,” he says. “We got a knock between the teeth like everyone else last year.”

The Reignite program features five events over the three days, with two live shows and food and wine on the Thursday and Friday, followed by Saturday’s family festival and outdoor concert, as well as a literary dinner with journalist and bestselling author Trent Dalton.

“Trent was very happy to come up and do what he does, which is talk about his work, and so we combine that and put the NOOSA alive! spin on it, which is entertainment on the night, as well as good food, good wine and a good venue,” Andrew says. “We’ve been able to keep the price as low as possible to cover costs – we’re a not-for-profit organisation so we just want to make enough money to keep the festival going for the next event. Trent was very open and amicable to be part of the festival and he’s a great personality with amazing talent, I’m looking forward to the night.

David Williamson and Andrew Squires. Image by Chris Gilmore

“The Thursday and Friday nights will be a little bit different in Noosa as well, which is again entertainment with food and wine, so it’s all about keep the standard and quality up there and delivering high-class performances without a high-price ticket, and making it available to people who live in Noosa so you don’t have to travel to the metropolitan areas or interstate to see these types of events.”

Up to 500 people will be allowed at Saturday’s Sunshine Festival and Sunset Vibes Concert, but Andrew is hoping council will relax COVID rules to allow more people to attend.

He says organisers are planning to announce the line-up for

July’s 10-day NOOSA alive! program during Reignite as well. The festival was rebranded from the Noosa Long Weekend Festival to NOOSA alive! in 2017. This year long-time festival producer Ian Mackellar is returning to put together the July event.

“NOOSA alive! was originally born to bring visitors in the quiet times to Noosa but there are few quiet times here any more,” Andrew says. “The festival needed to be reinvented and now we’re looking at how it can be long-term sustainable, how it can generate itself and work more efficiently, which we’ve been doing over the time of COVID. “It’s about bringing arts and culture to the Noosa region, presenting high-quality performers, arts and food events, activities, community, schools, and really encompassing the culture of Noosa. It’s a destination – people love to come to Noosa and experience the Queensland Ballet, forums, food events, music, comedy, community events and so forth.

“It’s been very difficult to plan with COVID because there are restrictions on numbers, venues, social distancing, reporting, recording, and we haven’t been able to do any fundraisers; sponsors’ and patrons’ money is in decline because of financial situations. We have been able to secure a few small grants to make this event in March go forward.”

Andrew also reiterated the need for the community to get behind the not-for-profit, volunteer-based event.

“We’re always looking for sponsors, for patrons, for people who want to be involved,” he says. “That’s what keeps it going – without patrons’ support and without sponsorship, it doesn’t happen. This is the festival’s 20th year, so it’s an extra great reason to get behind the festival. This year we would like to bring a very special event to Noosa for everyone to enjoy, be entertained and to stimulate their minds, which is why culture and the arts is so important to communities.”

Reignite 2021 runs from March 11-13.

Visit noosaalive.com.au. Tickets are on sale now.

11-13 MARCH 2021 A FESTIVAL OF ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT THURSDAY 11 MARCH

FRIDAY 12 MARCH

Paris je taime

starring Pauline Maudy & Friends

A NIGHT OF FINE FOOD WINE & MUSIC @ Noosa Springs Resort

165 pp Includes Dinner & Drinks

$

SATURDAY 13 MARCH

Trent Dalton

Shimmer Party

A LITERARY DINNER WITH A DIFFERENCE An evening of food, wine and conversation

Mzaza Band with accordion, exotic strings, percussion & enchanting vocals @ Fish Parkridge Noosa $

165 pp Includes Dinner & Drinks

$

@ Noosa Boathouse

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@ NOOSA DOLPHINS RUGBY UNION CLUB @ NOOSA DOLPHINS RUGBY UNION CLUB

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ADULTS $10 U16 $5 U5 FREE

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WWW.NOOSAALIVE.COM.AU FEBRUARY 2021 SUNNY COAST TIMES

35

CREATIVE CUTS

Rising star ready to dazzle

R

enowned singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mitch King is set to bring his dynamic show to the Imperial Hotel at Eumundi on February 19.

Mitch blends vocals with electric and acoustic guitars, harmonica, kick drum and tambourine to create his unique Australian folky blues ’n’ roots sound.

Born and raised on the Gold Coast, Mitch (pictured) recently signed with Michael Gudinski’s newest label, Reclusive Records.

“To be selected by Michael Gudinski and have him believe in my music is a great honour,” he says.

“I’m really looking forward to releasing lots of new music this year and can’t wait to see what the future holds for our new partnership.”

Gudinski is equally thrilled to have signed Mitch to the label.

“I have always been fascinated with the one-man band concept,” he says. “After seeing Mitch perform live, I knew there

Singer-songwriter Mitch King

Bokarina

36

was something unique and special about him.”

Mitch has just released a new single Oil and Water.

The song was born when he and Mark Lizotte met for a writing session in Sydney.

“As much as you like to be with someone, sometimes the differences between two people are so vast, you realise you are like oil and water,” he says.

Mitch first started playing guitar at 14, spending hours in his bedroom fine-tuning his skills and listening to artists such as John Mayer, Jimi Hendrix and Santana.

In 2014 he released his first album A Life Under the Sun, with the single Coming Back picked up by the Green Bay Packers NFL team to promote their season opener. He has since graced festival stages at the the Tamworth Country Music Festival and St Kilda Festival, and supported artists including Tones and I, America and Supertramp’s Roger Hodgson.

He has hit more than 36 million worldwide music streams and has 250,000 monthly listeners on US Pandora radio.

Mitch will be supported at the Imperial Hotel by Rob Longstaff, aka Bobby the Kid and R.Soul, a Sunny Coast music veteran who is currently attempting to release four new songs and videos per week.

Tickets are $20 (plus booking fee) through Oztix. No door sales. It is an over-18s event. Doors open at 7.30pm.

Maroochydore

Opportunities for artists

Dance the night away

Sunday session

Local arts organisations and artists are being invited to apply for partnerships to offer tax deductibility to their donors, or to be a recipient of the GIFTED annual giving campaign, thanks to the Sunshine Coast Arts Foundation.

The foundation was entered on the Register of Cultural Organisations late last year and can receive tax-deductible donations on behalf of artists and organisations in the region.

Six organisations and artists will also be selected by the foundation board each year as recipients of donations to the GIFTED campaign, which invites the community to donate to local artists in visual arts, music, literature, screen and theatre.

Donations can be made to the GIFTED campaign at scartsfoundation.com/support.

Pictured is Elle Emery, who performed during the GIFTED launch at Venue 114. Image by Chloe Horder Media.

Get your groove on at Venue 114 in March as DISCOTrain arrives at the station.

Presented by local production company Black Rock Productions, the show features singers Sharon Brooks, Toni Zaffa, Rob Farhi, Ashleigh Dell and Asabi Goodman.

“It was not easy getting the show to this point,” says Sharon, who is also CEO and managing director of Black Rock Productions. “The show was originally planned as the Queens of Soul for 2020. However, with COVID, we had many setbacks and ultimately had to move forward with a show that was a bit more viable at this time. It was a hard decision for me to make, as the Queens of Soul show was more focused on original music.

However, with the state of the entertainment industry, if we want to stay afloat these days, we must do what will work best in markets, and often that means sacrificing our original music for a more popular show.”

DISCOTrain will be on March 12 at Venue 114 in Bokarina.

For more details including ticket prices visit discotrainvenue114.floktu.com.

Crowd favourites the Session Band and special guest Cherryn Jane Bray will feature at the Jazz and Blues Collective Maroochydore’s next Jazz and Blues Sunday event on March 7.

The Session Band is a group of highly skilled musicians who are individually recognised as being some of the best performers in the country. Each member has decades of professional experience in all aspects of the music industry. This band is highly versatile and always fun, and is one of those rare groups that is equally skilled performing Dixie, swing, modern jazz, Latin, rock, pop and country.

The members of the band are Russell Bayne (guitar, vocals), Peter Uppman (sax, vocals), Pat Robbins (drums, vocals) and Jo Hawthorne (keyboard), with Cherryn Jane Bray (pictured) the special guest vocalist.

The show is at the Millwell Road Community Centre, with doors opening at 1pm and music from 1.30-4pm. A pizza truck will be on site from noon and it’s BYO (no glass).

Tickets are $25, seniors $23. Visit ticketebo.com.au/ jazz-blues-collective.

FEBRUARY 2021 SUNNY COAST TIMES

CREATIVE CUTS

Actors reunited on stage after 35 years F

ate has thrust two star-crossed actors together again, four decades after they first shared the stage in a Sydney production of The Real Inspector Hound.

Maria Karambelas and Robert Boesch trod the boards in a 1986 Darlinghurst Theatre version of the Tom Stoppard whodunnit spoof, and again this year in the Noosa Arts Theatre’s laugh-a-minute comedy A Turkey’s Tail.

Both were delighted to be reunited and were among the many new faces gracing the local stage thanks to the theatre’s open auditions during its 50th anniversary year in 2020.

Robert, a former graphic designer who now volunteers on the theatre’s committee and paints sets with the theatre’s men’s group, remembers Maria as “the life of the party”.

“Funny, generous and talented – she hasn’t changed,” he says. “I loved her English accent.”

Maria also volunteers as a committee member and continues to run her own freelance film and TV crew agency, as well as playing ukulele on Wednesdays at the marina. She recalls Robert as an expressive, comedic performer.

“Robert was always so funny, and good to see he hasn’t lost his comedic timing and facial expressions,” she says.

“I had to really work my comedic timing as I had to come in and out of different doors.”

Theatre remains a driving passion for both.

“I love the immediacy of theatre, the reaction of the audience, bringing a character to life and the many interesting people you meet along the way,” Robert says.

“I have always felt Noosa Arts was very well-run (and) produced fabulous, professional shows.”

Maria sees the community theatre as one of Noosa’s main assets.

“When I relocated from Sydney, one of the most important factors of my move was there had to be a good theatre company,” she says. “I’ve performed with several Sydney theatre companies and Noosa Arts is one of the best I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with.”

The pair feel blessed to be in Noosa.

“Noosa is heaven on earth – so clean and tidy, plenty of wonderful cafes and restaurants, and the people are friendly and happy,” Maria says.

Robert adds: “The cafes and restaurants are arguably as good, and some better, than anything in Sydney or Melbourne.

Great weather, great national park, great beach and river, great theatre scene. What’s not to love?”

Noosa Arts Theatre’s next show is a “feel-good” production of Mamma Mia from March 25 to April 17. Tickets are now on sale at noosaartstheatre.org.au or phone 5449 9343.

Maria Karambelas and Robert Boesch in A Turkey's Tail. Image by Travis Macfarlane Maria and Robert in 1986 with the Darlinghurst Theatre

Caloundra

Nambour

Yandina

Gallery line-up announced

Classic theatre

Special guest artist

Art lovers are in for a treat this year at Caloundra Regional Gallery, with 10 exhibitions planned that celebrate art across every discipline.

“We’re thrilled to announce an exciting all-star line-up of art from across our region, Australia and the world, coming to Caloundra in a range of curated exhibitions and events,” gallery manager and curator Jo Duke said.

“Announcing our program is a great way to remind residents and visitors that everyone is welcome at our gallery.”

The current exhibitions are Latest and Greatest: Sunshine Coast Art Collection recent acquisitions, celebrating new additions to the collection from the past two years; and Contemporary Wood-Carved Netsuke, which presents works by contemporary carvers and artisans of the netsuke – a type of traditional Japanese miniature sculpture. Both are on show until March 14.

The gallery is open from 10am-4pm Tuesday to Friday and 10am-2pm on weekends. Visit gallery.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au.

The Lind Lane Theatre invites you to its opening play for 2021, Arms and the Man by George Bernard Shaw, directed by Joy Hinckley.

Arms and the Man is many things to many people – a farcical comedy, a satire depicting the stupidity and ultimate futility of war, and a dig at class divisions and the concept of “higher love”.

The Lind will transport you to a fairytale mountain village by the magic of sets and costumes designed by Anne Grant of 3bCreative.

Arms and the Man is suitable for all ages. Regulars know that the Lind provides a good social occasion for all too, with the bar open before the show and at interval.

The play runs from February 26 until March 6. Bookings are essential, visit lindlane.com.au/watch or phone 1300 732 764.

Pictured are (from left) Barry Dale, Taylor Rost and Lachlan Money. Image by Chris Grealy.

Country music concerts are back! The Australasian Country Music Association in Yandina is welcoming Sylvia Saulto as guest artist for its first concert for 2021 on Sunday, February 21.

With four CDs to her credit – and another on the way – Sylvia is a popular performer who will delight with her range of songs.

You’ll be entertained with a diverse range of country styles, from traditional to the more upbeat and crowd-pleasing favourites, with a great band and local artists.

It’s at the Hall of Fame, 24 Steggalls Rd, from noon-4pm.

Entry is $8, concession $6. Walk-ups are welcome. Raffles and door prizes are on offer. BYO lunch, free tea and coffee.

The ACMA is a not-for-profit organisation and proceeds go towards the upkeep of the hall.

Inquiries to 0437 191 004.

FEBRUARY 2021 SUNNY COAST TIMES

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Discover

Flinders

As one of Queensland’s leading schools, Matthew Flinders Anglican College is dedicated to educating for excellence in learning and life.

Find out how we challenge our students from Prep to Year 12 to develop their character and competencies. Join us at one of the following events and opportunities: • Discovery Tour of our Secondary School (Years 7-12) – Thursday, 18 February • Year 7 Information Evening Tuesday, 23 February • Flinders Scholarships close on Friday, 26 February. Scholarships available: – Academic – General Excellence – Music – Principal's Scholarship – Foundation Scholarship For more information on tour bookings and scholarships, visit mfac.edu.au 1-47 Stringybark Road, Buderim | 07 5477 3200 | Find us on

HAPPY CLASSROOMS

= engaged kids Our flexible and collaborative learning spaces and inquiry-based teaching equips students for a future world where creativity, communication and critical thinking skills are essential.

Book a touR CALL 5451 3600

www.suncoastcc.qld.edu.au p. (07) 5451 3600 e. info@suncoastcc.qld.edu.au a. Cnr Schubert & Kiel Mtn Rds, Woombye

38

FEBRUARY 2021 SUNNY COAST TIMES

EDUCATION

Aura’s first high school opens to students T he first secondary school in Stockland’s Aura community has opened its classrooms, providing engaging, challenging and inclusive curriculum opportunities.

The opening of Baringa State Secondary College for the start of the 2021 school year follows the opening of Baringa State School – a science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) focused primary school – in 2018.

Baringa State Secondary College opened to Year 7 and 8 students and will eventually cater through to Year 12.

Newly appointed Baringa State Secondary College principal Matt Samson said it was an exciting time for the school and the community.

“The first 12 months will be an amazing opportunity to work with the community and our foundation students to develop the traditions that will become part of the school culture and identity,” he said.

“I have been so impressed and appreciative of the support and excitement the community has shown our new college.”

Construction has also commenced on a second state primary school in the suburb of Nirimba, set to open in 2022 catering to 1100 students.

And Brisbane Catholic Education is also set to open a new Prep to Year 12 school in Aura’s city centre in 2023, with the first stage of construction due to commence on the eight-hectare site in 2022. On completion the school will accommodate 1500 students and about 150 staff.

“Aura is committed to nurturing young minds and emerging talent, and with 10 new families moving to the community every week the high school is a welcome addition to our growing

number of education facilities,” Stockland project director Josh Sondergeld said. “Aura is building a talented city with education at its heart, a city where learning is part of life.

“We were very proud to deliver Queensland’s first STEM School of Excellence in Baringa State School, catering to the digital age with interactive televisions in each classroom, 3D printers and an interactive robotics laboratory.

“We look forward to delivering an education offering that will have a positive influence on families which is central to Stockland’s goal of creating sustainable and highly liveable communities.” Baringa State Secondary College principal Matt Samson. Image by Glenn Hunt

Graduates happy to take the lead

T

he graduating cohort of 2020 were used to being the guinea pigs when it came to schooling. As they were the first year to complete the compulsory year of Prep, it seemed fitting that they were also the first to receive an ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank) under the new Queensland Certificate of Education.

Good Shepherd Lutheran College at Noosaville has celebrated the achievements of its 2020 class, with 68 per cent of graduates receiving an ATAR of 80 or more.

ATAR is a percentile rank between 0.00 and 99.95 that indicates a students’ position relative to all the students in their age group.

“We are thrilled at how well these students adapted to the new system,” head of senior studies Matt Armstrong said.

“Even a year disrupted through COVID-19 was not a deterrent for these young adults to give their best. Thirty-four per cent of our students received an ATAR of 90-plus, with three students obtaining a 99-plus.”

Those results translated to 70 per cent of Good Shepherd graduates receiving a tertiary offer for their first preference course and institution, and a further 11 per cent receiving an offer for their second preference. Students chose diverse courses including business, business management and commerce; law; psychology; engineering; biomedicine and

Cole Suter receiving his dux award from principal Anthony Dyer Academic Commendation recipient Grete Gawthorn with Anthony Dyer

paramedic science.

Class of 2020 dux Cole Suter, Grete Gawthorn and Zoe Wing were also acknowledged by the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority with a Certificate of Academic Commendation for achieving an A in all six of their subjects.

“The high ATAR results achieved by the Class of 2020 continue the history of graduating Year 12s achieving excellent results,” principal Anthony Dyer said. “We look forward to hearing of the next steps of the class of 2020.”

*Eligibility criteria apply

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Growing people to make a difference.

Pacific Lutheran College is a supportive learning community, with a strong academic focus and exceptional sporting, cultural and outdoor programs. Our curriculum is designed to support a seamless transition from Kindergarten to Year 12, and then to life beyond school. Fostering thinking skills, curiosity and deep understanding, Pacific helps each child develop their own passion for learning.

Core focus on relationships

K-12 learning community

Flexible learning spaces

Focus on literacy, numeracy and problem solving

Visit us on any week day!

Contact Chris Henschke, College Registrar P 5436 7321 A Woodlands Boulevard, Meridan Plains 4551

pacificlutheran.qld.edu.au

FEBRUARY 2021 SUNNY COAST TIMES

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FEBRUARY 2021 SUNNY COAST TIMES

$292,000

NEW Online booking platform for your business Scan to register your business

Sunny Coast Media Mall

Now Open!

Oral Art Denture Clinic and Dental Ceramics will give you a new reason to smile. We use the best quality materials from Switzerland and take pride in our excellent service and workmanship. Your satisfaction is our priority.

Noosaville Warehouse Op Shop - 3/170 Noosa-Eumundi Road,Noosaville Ph: 5474 4192 Tewantin Op Shop - The Atrium, 91 Poinciana Avenue, Tewantin Ph: 5474 0116 Cooroy Op Shop - Emerald Street, Cooroy (opposite IGA) Ph: 5447 7043 Maroochydore Op Shop - 54-56 Aerodrome Road, Maroochydore (near Beefy’s Pies) Ph:5443 3059

Welcome to Better Family Health

Make an appointment to see us for a FREE initial consultation We specialise in full removable dentures Partial dentures Relines and repairs Mouthguards/ sports mouthguards and occlusal splints Dentures on implants All ceramic and implant work for dentists CAD CAM and 3-D printing Most private health funds and DVA claims are processed immediately Registered with Dental Board of Australia | Australian Dental Prosthetic Association

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41

IN HOME

Joint pain?

REHABILITATION

WE COME TO YOU

Get back to the life you love

Function Plus Therapy is a new Allied Health (Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and other) service providing in home rehabilitation.

Joint pain is often frustrating or even debilitating.

It can hinder your performance and stop you from doing the things you enjoy.

We are highly experienced, senior level therapists with 25 years combined experience between two directors, Emily and Carlicia.

We provide assessment, rehabilitation, equipment prescription and home modification assessment for a wide range of conditions including but not limited to: • • • • • • • • •

Lymphoedema Stroke Progressive neurological disorders (Parkinson’s Disease, MS, MND etc) Chronic respiratory & other chronic disease Aged care (reduced mobility, falls, de-conditioning) Orthopaedic Amputation and prosthetic rehab Acquired brain injury Spinal cord injury

What funding is available?

• • • • • •

NDIS (Plan and Self-managed) Home Care Package / CHSP Enhanced Primary Care Plan (co-payment required) DVA Private Health (dependant on individual cover) Private payments “Emily has been very professional and focused on helping me recover from a spinal cord injury in which I was told I would never walk again. With Emily’s professional help, I am now walking again and I am even learning to run again! Emily has been a fantastic physio and I cannot recommend her highly enough.”

Andrew (36)

At Sunshine Coast University Private Hospital, our multidisciplinary teams of orthopaedic surgeons, medical staff, specialist nurses, physiotherapists and exercise physiologists deliver health care solutions for patients across joint replacement, reconstruction and revision.

An individual plan is developed for each patient’s journey with the aim to help you get back to the things you love. Talk to a GP or physiotherapist for assistance.

Watch our videos to learn more and find your specialist online.

3 Doherty Street, Birtinya 4575

sunshinecoastuniversityprivate.com.au | Ph (07) 5390 6000

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HEALTH, WELLNESS AND BEAUTY

‘Changing your choices will change your life’ IMAGE

by KERRIE FRIEND

W

hen this year rolled around I was more determined than ever before to take my health and wellness next level.

With all that we endured last year it got me thinking about how I wanted to be healthier overall and to make my well-being a self-love priority. Perhaps this month I’ll inspire you to do the same and we can all go to another level together. This is not a weight conversation but a health inspiration because our

weight is not our identity but feeling our best determines our well-being.

Changing your choices will change your life, therefore take an inventory of where you are physically and mentally right now. You’ll more than likely find areas like I did where you need improvement. Write them down and then implement a plan to improve each of them. When we want to see changes in our

life we need to change something we do in our life daily – this creates great changes long term.

The first step to health in 2021 is to hit the refresh button and start again because we’ve turned the corner of COVID’s craziness and it’s time to put our image (spirit, soul and body) at the top of our to-do list. And if you had any “panhabits” (pandemic bad habits), and most of us did, they now need to go too as it’s time to tidy up our choices. This isn’t about feeling guilty, it’s about putting self-love front and centre, and making the right decisions. It’s time for self-discipline and to use your power again in a productive way for your health. Honest evaluations allow you to prepare for quality sleep, movement, good food choices and a spiritual practice. Start gradually executing your plan and slowly but surely build momentum because it’s what we do consistently that brings about real, lasting change. Consistency is more important than intensity.

Never underestimate the value of simple yet proven effects of our water intake (eight glasses), healthy food choices, rest (eight hours), exercise and a spiritual life. They are life-changers and have a huge impact on our entire being including our mental and emotional condition. Last year gave us all further insight into the importance of taking care of our mental health.

We all have different strengths and weaknesses but we can all gain benefits from including stretching (yoga, pilates), cardio (walking, running, swimming) and strength training (weights) to keep our bodies in good condition. Include getting outside, reading (enjoyment and knowledge), journalling, prayer and meditation, and you’ll begin to feel enhanced from the inside out.

Good habits come from repetition, so make a plan for what’s best for you and put them into action. And for those of you who say you don’t have an extra hour every day to become a better version of you, forgo an hour of TV or social media, get up an hour earlier, go to bed an hour later or eliminate other time-wasters. You’ll guarantee yourself an essential hour of power that will revolutionise your life.

God bless, Kerrie

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NATURE

How to help dogs through separation

by PENNY BRISCHKE Sunshine Coast Animal Refuge

W

ith the end of the school holidays, most of us have headed back to work and sent the kids back to school. Our cats are most probably rejoicing at having the house to themselves again, and our dogs are either enjoying some chill out time or wondering where we have all gone during the day.

Cats are usually fairly independent and happy to ‘amuse’ themselves when home alone, but dogs on the other hand can get a bit bored.

Here’s some tips to keep them happy: • Ensure you provide the basics they need – water, shelter, protection from the weather and secure fencing or surrounds.

• Enrichment toys such as Kongs and snuffle mats are great to keep your pooch amused while you are away. Get your local pet store to recommend the best ones.

• Turn on your pooch’s favourite radio or TV station – it can help create a sense of company for them.

• Take them on an early morning walk to use up some of their energy.

• Make sure they have a cosy space to nap in with their favourite bed and blanket.

• Try out treat-dispensing toys – have a chat to your local pet store and they will recommend the right ones.

• If all that still isn’t helping then have a look at the local pet daycare options or play dates with your friends or neighbour’s pooches.

A friend of mine recently had a fire in her house while they were all out. Thankfully, they are all OK and a kind neighbour rescued her deaf dog, who was sleeping on the couch blissfully unaware of what was going on around him.

It’s a good reason to get to know your neighbours and let them know about any special-needs pets in case you ever have something like this happen.

It’s nice to be able to say hello to your neighbours anyway, but this is an added advantage in unforeseen circumstances where your pets may be at risk.

If you’re wanting to add a forever furry friend to your family, please consider contacting SCARS or other reputable rescues.

There are many wonderful cats and dogs available, of varying ages and breeds, and to suit different lifestyles.

Currently we have a few senior cats looking for loving retirement homes. Sonny and Please remove Princess (pictured) are 11 yearsall wording under the 'we old and have lived all theirthe lives following: - (please offer' andofadd together. They came to us from a in the blue circle the above child-freeswap home and are looking for a quiet retirement place call wording '') wording to thetonew home. They are happy, chilled and affectionate felines. Contact us to arrange to meet them.

The good, bad and plain ugly

by VIC JAKES

green tree frog. It is a docile amphibian, very comfortable near human habitation and happy to assist in disposing o to the movies and, almost always, the ‘good guy’ is of insects drawn to the house by the light. The attractive the handsome, smiling one, while the ‘baddie’ is the green coloration of the skin, which is believed to have both ugly, mean-looking, character. Here on the Sunshine antibacterial and antiseptic qualities, adds to its appeal and Coast there is an obvious case in nature where a similar it is popular exotic pet in some parts of the world. The very scenario plays out. misleading scientific name of the tree frog ‘caerulea’ actually Let us take a look at our ‘good guy’, the green tree frog means ‘blue’ in Latin and was named this simply because (Litoria caerulea), and compare it to our ‘baddie’, the the alcohol preserving the specimen that arrived in London introduced and now much-despised cane toad in 1790 had affected the frog’s colouration during (Rhinella marina). transportation.

Is it coincidence that the green tree Found in the north and east of frog always seems to be smiling, while Australia, this delightful frog can grow to the cane toad is always looking grumpy? over 11cm and, barring mishaps, can live Just take a look at their ‘mug shots’ for some 16 years. Females are usually face on and you will see exactly what larger than males and lay clumps of I mean. up to 2000 eggs that initially float, but It is easy to find reasons to like the sink within a day. The tadpoles take about six weeks to develop and then transform into young frogs and are able A green tree frog. Images by Vic Jakes to leave the water.

Now let’s look at our cane toad The ubiquitous cane toad ‘baddie’. They were introduced into Australia in August 1935 to combat the grey-backed cane beetles that were ravaging the Queensland cane fields. They failed spectacularly, not least because the cane beetles lived in the tops of the sugar cane, and the toads could not climb. The toad, which can reach twice the size of our green tree frog, is a prolific breeder and is now regarded as an invasive pest. It is well known that they are highly toxic – and this includes the tadpoles – resulting in the deaths of many native animals that try to eat them. There is little likelihood of ever eliminating them from our shores, but the good news is that certain creatures are finding ways to kill and eat them, without suffering dire consequences. For example, I regularly see Torresian crows flipping the toads upside down and eating them from the underside to avoid the bufotoxin-filled paratoid glands on their shoulders. The crows obviously have great success as, on any day, I can find half a dozen semi-eaten toad carcasses at their favourite feeding spot.

But is there any way that we might take the side of the cane toad? Frankly, no – unless you count the fact that it doesn’t make the absolute racket of the tree frog as it uses a drainpipe to amplify its incessant honking.

So, enjoy the ‘goodie’ and put up with the ‘baddie’. After all, we have no other choice.

G

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REAL ESTATE SUNNY COAST TIMES

Design guru Rosso peers into the future

C

New year brings added property pressures

“COVID put paid to Tim attending our planned event last year so it’s great that we’ve been able to secure him for this year’s Future Coast event,” SunCentral project manager city activation Bronwyn Adams said.

“Tim will specifically look at the region’s population growth and how we can have a say in this growth so we can better plan for our future.”

Rosso will be joined by Ben Johnston, the co-founder and CEO of Josephmark, who will explore how digital products can change the way we work, play and connect.

omedian and architecture aficionado Tim Ross will give his insights into the future of the Sunshine Coast at a special Design Series Future Coast event.

The well-known TV and radio personality has always had a passion for design, performing architecturethemed live shows Man About the House and Designing A Legacy in recent years.

At the Future Coast event on February 18 at the MET in the new Maroochydore CBD, ‘Rosso’, as he is commonly known, will look into his crystal ball to ponder what the Coast will look like in 2030.

For tickets visit mccmetropolitan.com.au/ the-design-series.

by ANTONIA MERCORELLA CEO, Real Estate Institute of Queensland

W

e’re already a month into 2021 and what a year it’s been so far. Apart from unexpected lockdowns across the Greater Brisbane region, economic indicators tell a positive story. Over the holidays we saw consumer confidence surge for a fourth consecutive month (4.1 per cent), reaching its highest level since October 2010. This was in part driven by news of a technical recession being over and better prospects for a vaccine.

Then we saw a holiday spending boom, with a 2.8 per cent bump to reach more than $54.3 billion. And job vacancies across Queensland rose to their highest level on record in the leadup to Christmas, according to data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. That translated to almost 50,000 new jobs on offer.

With positive economic results ushering in a new year, many homeowners are second guessing whether it’s the right time to jump into the market as evidenced by limited stock availability, skyrocketing demand for properties and extremely tight rental conditions. In fact, the Sunshine Coast remains one of the hottest property markets right now as Queensland continues to enjoy the highest interstate migration rates across the country with

quarterly growth of 1.8 per cent and an annual median house price rise of 5.3 per cent. Its annual median is now $611,000. As to whether it’s a good time to sell ultimately comes down to your personal circumstances.

As for the region’s rental market, vacancy rates remain extraordinarily tight. In fact, the last three months have recorded 0.4 per cent with no indications of movement anytime soon.

Ideally, more investors are needed to enter the market, but is it the right time? Sure, people have been saving more money as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and interest rates are at historic lows, however, investors are still on the sidelines in part because of artificial price increases due to demand far outweighing supply. Added to this is the upward pressure on rents. As a result of tight vacancy rates, it can potentially push the market towards unaffordable, making it less attractive to investors.

It’s unlikely rental vacancies will change significantly in the near future as Queensland as a whole continues to remain a popular destination for interstate migration while investors are still yet to re-enter the market.

As already highlighted, property investors are critical to ensuring we have adequate supply of rental accommodation available for Queenslanders, which is why the Real Estate Institute of Queensland continues to strongly advocate for the abolishment of stamp duty so as to provide a much-needed incentive for investors to re-enter the market now.

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REAL ESTATE

SUNNY COAST TIMES

New flagship hardware store coming to Nambour

A

13,000 sq m site in Nambour is set to become the new flagship store of Sunshine Mitre 10.

General manager Neil Hutchins says the company, one of the largest independently operated and owned hardware suppliers in Queensland, already has council approval and will open at 980 Nambour Connection Rd (formerly occupied by Kubota) in mid-this year.

Nambour is a fitting site for the store because it is where the Sunshine Mitre 10 – which has 18 locations across Queensland – began 110 years ago.

“The local community has already shown excitement and support for this endeavour,” Neil said.

“The new location in Nambour is important because it not only meets the increasing demand from our retail and trade customer base, but it also supports the town of Nambour and pays respect to the heritage where the company was started by Walter Lanham in 1910.

“We have been steadily expanding the Sunshine Mitre 10 group across Queensland with more recent store openings in Bundaberg, St George and Brisbane, and we have a focus on supporting the communities of the towns in which we operate.

Nambour is at the top of that list in terms of regions we want to support.

“This new store is the next step in our expansion, and this flagship location will be the best possible representation of our brand and heritage. We’re excited to see it unfold and transition into another 110 years of locals supporting locals.

“Sunshine Mitre 10 already employs more than 400 staff across our network of stores in Queensland, including the seven

Make the most of incentives

W

ith up to $35,000 in government incentives being offered to firsthome buyers, if you have thought about building your dream home then now is the time.

That’s the message from Edge Designer Homes, a family-owned business that has been building on the Sunshine Coast for more than 25 years.

Tristan Allison from Edge Designer Homes says the business’ goal is to provide the easiest building experience with the most tailored service to people wanting to build a home from Brisbane to Gympie and everywhere in between.

“We pride ourselves on being completely transparent with our customers at all times,” he says.

Tristan (pictured), who grew up locally, says the Sunshine Coast is the perfect place to be building a new home.

“The Coast’s relaxed lifestyle makes it a great place to grow up, with all the amenities you could ask for but with enough jobs and growth potential to expand,” he says.

The business does most of its work in Sunshine Cove at Maroochydore, Azure at Forest Glen and Village Green and Harmony in Palmview, but does also service surrounding areas.

The business was co-founded by Nigel Rivett, who has more than 20 years of hands-

on experience in the building industry. He has built a team of professionals determined to deliver exceptional customer service and outstanding results. Supported by his wife and family, Nigel ensures his team meets the highest quality standards across all levels of the build.

Tristan himself brings a range of experiences to his role with the business.

“After working in the building industry as an apprentice carpenter I then expanded into sales and design, working on custom-designed homes all over the Sunshine Coast and surrounding areas, focusing on making the first-home buyers experience as seamless as possible,” he says.

“As a first-home buyer myself at the age of 18, I know how daunting it can be to navigate through the process. I strive to make the experience as easy and stress-free as possible and hope that I can inspire people my age – and any age for that matter – to set a goal of getting in the property market early.”

Tristan says his favourite part of the job is working with different people to make their dreams a reality.

“Our client base is very mixed, whether it is a first-home buyer or someone who has built multiple homes,” he says. “I love being able to take someone’s dream from a plan on a piece of paper to their dream home.”

sites we operate throughout the Sunshine Coast. We are pleased to have committed to this multimillion-dollar investment on the back of a 25-year lease at this location.”

The new site includes 4000 sq m under roof and will be one of the largest in the Sunshine Mitre 10 network. Dozens of local jobs will be created, in addition to the development and construction of the site being managed and built by local builders and tradies.

“The site will have everything you need to get in, get out and get on with it,” Neil says.

“The entire project has been meticulously designed to provide the customer with the ultimate hardware shopping experience.”

When the new site opens, Sunshine Mitre 10 will continue to operate the existing Court Rd store for the convenience of the local community, and work to transition its 75 years of loyal customers across to the new location.

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If our standard designs do not work for you then you can sit with one of our experienced design consultants to assist you with your new home design and experience the difference working with a quality MASTER BUILDER can make! We can build your dream home anywhere from North Brisbane to Gympie.

Have you heard of the newest boutique estate on the Sunshine Coast in Forest Glen “Azure” - Stage 3 just released and blocks selling fast!!

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FEBRUARY 2021 SUNNY COAST TIMES

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Contact

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49

SPORT

SUNNY COAST TIMES

Coach and key players returning for Rip City

T

he University of the Sunshine Coast Basketball Club has secured women’s coach Jamie Glover and three starters for the inaugural NBL1 North season.

Glover, in his second straight year at the helm of the Rip City women’s team, has re-signed Coast favourites Meghan Ditchburn, Liisa Ups and Layla Prince – all key players in the COVID-interrupted Queensland State League season last year.

“I’m excited to have the local girls back,” Glover said. “Liisa and Meg were key players for us last year, always putting in 110 per cent. They bring great energy and work rate.

“With Layla coming from the junior ranks, it will be exciting to see her development after a good QSL season last year.”

USC's NBL1 season starts with the local derby against Phoenix at USC Stadium on May 15. The finals will be played in August-September after a 14-round regular season.

Glover, who has been a development coach and worked with juniors for most of his eight years at the club, will demand his players control the ball, work hard and have fun.

Ditchburn, who will play her fourth season with Rip City, has set her sights on a NBL1 North playoff spot after the team missed out on them by one game last year.

“I have loved playing at Rip and being involved in their senior program, particularly last season where we had a great group of players and coaching staff, supported by a loyal and caring club community,” the 2020 Rip City Players’ Player said.

“I’m looking Liisa Ups. forward to the upcoming Image by season. I’m hoping we can Fan Fair move deep into the finals and contend for the championship.”

Ups, the Rip City junior club development coach, will play her third season at USC. “I’m excited to be joining for another year and to get a full preseason and season under our belt after the short one last year,” she said.

“We need to make being in the playoffs a standard for Rip City NBL1 and this is the year we will start that off. Consistency will be key this season and I’m excited to get it rolling.”

Prince, a Queensland under-18 representative, made her debut in the Rip City women’s team last year.

“I’m really looking forward to get to know the girls more and using everything I learnt last season this season, so it’s exciting,” she said.

“Last year we improved heaps, hopefully we can keep improving and winning games this season.”

Coast hosts Reds stars Fraser McReight, James O'Connor and Lawson Creighton at a Caloundra Rugby Union training session

M

embers of the Queensland Reds rugby union squad have visited the Sunshine Coat as part of the Reds to Regions program.

Fraser McReight, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Sam Wallis, Kalani Thomas and James O’Connor were among the players to visit the Coast in January. They were involved in training clinics, tried their hand at wheelchair rugby and even took on a highropes challenge. Reds assistant coaches Jim McKay and Michael Todd were also on hand to help pass on tips at clinics.

It was the second year that Reds players have visited regional Queensland after a successful introduction last year.

“It was important for us to reconnect with the Queensland community,” Reds head coach Brad Thorn said. “We got around the state. The communities loved it and so did the players.

“We want to show it wasn’t just a one-off last year. It’s all about care and connection between us and the people of Queensland. We’re not the Brisbane Reds, we’re the Queensland Reds. If you’re going to represent your state, it’s important to know what it means to represent them.

“Like last year, we want the players spread across all parts of Queensland. Again, we want them billeting out amongst the different communities. We want to give back and we can’t wait to get out there again.”

The wheelchair rugby experience was held at the Suncoast Clippers Stadium in Buderim and involved Australian representatives and Olympic gold medal winners Ryan Scott and Chris Bond.

Refuelling safety vital to prevent boat fires

by JOHN GASPAROTTO Caloundra Volunteer Coast Guard

B

oaties are being reminded of the dangers when refuelling powerboats, houseboats and personal watercraft.

According to Caloundra Volunteer Coast Guard, refuelling is a potentially hazardous part of boating and it is important to take care and to follow the correct procedures.

Fuel fires spread very quickly so it is important you have fire protection equipment readily available.

Boat fires are very serious and can lead to disastrous consequences, so the key is to know how to prevent them and, if they start, know how to respond.

Follow these safety tips at all times:

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FEBRUARY 2021 SUNNY COAST TIMES

• Do not smoke at any stage during refuelling.

• Switch off the engine and turn off all potential sources of flame such as pilot lights, gas refrigerators, electrical equipment and mobile phones.

• Remove all passengers from the boat when refuelling.

• Petrol fumes are denser than air and difficult to detect, so be alert to the smell of petrol.

• Do not overfill the tank.

• Clean up any fuel spill.

• Only allow passengers on the vessel after the engine has been restarted.

• Carry fire protection safety equipment including portable fire extinguishers, fire blankets, bucket with lanyard and fixed fire extinguishing systems. All Coast Guard boat crew members are trained in the proper way to refuel vessels

Brandon Paenga-Amosa on the Treetop Challenge at the Big Pineapple

James O'Connor tries out wheelchair rugby

The players were also involved in a session focusing on the Queensland Rugby Union’s IN TOUCH mental health awareness program.

Funded by the Queensland Government and the Queensland Mental Health Commission and supported by Rugby Unite, the program aims to aid clubs and associations in creating environments where everyone has the knowledge, skills and resources to understand and prioritise mental health and wellbeing of themselves and others.

Prizes on offer in nines tournament

R

ugby league teams have the chance to share in thousands of dollars of prizemoney thanks to the inaugural Sunshine Coast nines tournament on Saturday, March 6.

The event will be held at Sunshine Coast Stadium and feature competitions for open men, open women, reserve grade men, masters, under-18 men and under-19 women.

The winning teams in the open men and women will take home $1500 each, with $1000 on offer in the other divisions.

Games start at 9am with finals from 4.30pm. The event will also include family fun activities such as a jumping castle, face painting and more.

To register a team visit rugbyleaguesunshinecoast.com/ nines/scgrl-nines-registration.

SPORT

SUNNY COAST TIMES

Dawes scores nomination M aroochydore Roos product Belle Dawes has earned a nomination for the NAB AFLW Rising Star

award.

Dawes, who’s entering her second AFLW season with the Brisbane Lions, was nominated after finishing the round-one match against the Richmond Tigers with 21 disposals and seven clearances in her team’s 5.11 (42) to 1.6 (12) win.

In just her eighth AFLW match, she smashed her previous best disposal tally of 12, recorded against the Gold Coast last year, and tripled her 2020 season average of 5.9 touches.

Dawes told the media after the game that consistency would be one of her goals this season.

“I’ve got to back it up, just keep on doing what I’m doing basically,” she said.

“That’s all I’m thinking to myself, just trying to stay grounded, stay humble.

“I’m pretty grateful to get it (the nomination), I’ve just got to keep doing the same thing.”

The 19-year-old was originally been selected with pick No.15 in the 2019 NAB AFLW Draft from the Roos’ QAFLW team.

Dawes had a strong QAFLW season over winter, finishing equal-first in the competition’s best and fairest count alongside Lions teammates Jordan Zanchetta and Taylor Smith, and looks set to carry that form into the rest of the AFLW season.

Players are eligible for the NAB AFLW Rising Star if they are 21 years and under as of January 1, 2021, and have not been previously nominated.

Two players will be nominated per home and away round of the NAB AFLW season.

Belle Dawes of the Brisbane Lions during her team’s round one AFLW match against the Richmond Tigers in Melbourne. Image by Michael Willson/AFL Photos

Come and try out wheelchair sports

T

he Suncoast Spinners Wheelchair Sports Club is throwing open its doors to its social wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby sessions.

Club president Bridie Kean, a former captain of the Australian wheelchair basketball team, said the club offered social sessions every week for people of all ages, with and without disability.

“When people think of wheelchair sport, they sometime assume that it’s only for people who use a wheelchair in their everyday life, but it can be fun for everyone,” she said.

“Even at an elite level, there are people with a disability and people without any disability playing these sports because of the unique challenges and competition opportunities they provide.”

“We have already launched our weekly sessions at the USC Sports Stadium with basketball on a Wednesday night and rugby on a Saturday morning.

We provide the wheelchairs so people just have to come in comfortable clothing and we will take care of the rest.”

Bridie said the club offered two free sessions to anyone wanting to come along to see if wheelchair sport was for them.

She said that while 2020 was challenging for the club, it was looking forward to more opportunities in 2021 and hoping to see more people trying wheelchair sports for themselves.

Visit suncoastspinners.com.au.

Women to benefit from new change rooms Lifesaving series

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aroochydore Rugby Union Club’s new change rooms have been hailed as a game-changer for women’s involvement in the sport.

The new facility includes two change rooms with showers and toilets, a referees’ change room with shower and toilet, and a unisex accessible toilet.

Swans vice-president Megan Constable said the new facilities would encourage and support more women to get involved in rugby union.

“In traditionally male-dominated codes like union, this type of progress is vital to attracting more female players, volunteers and supporters,” she said.

“Women’s rugby union is growing right across the Sunshine Coast and now both home and visiting players will have facilities to use before and after games thanks to the new change rooms.”

The club’s senior women’s team started in 2004 with only 10 players but now has 65 players. There are dedicated female teams in the under-13s, 15s and 17s girls divisions, as well as junior girls playing alongside boys in the junior teams.

“We are proud to have experienced an influx of women and girls joining the game and this new facility will make a big difference to their playing experience in Maroochydore,” Swans president John Talbot said.

The $417,400 project was made possible through a $157,400 Sport Australia Move It AUS – Community Sport Infrastructure grant from the Australian Government, a $150,000 Get Playing Places and Spaces grant from the Queensland Government, $85,000 from Sunshine Coast Council and $25,000 from the Maroochydore Swans Rugby Union Club.

dates pushed back

S Swans players stand with the politicians and club members who helped bring the new change rooms to fruition

Member for Fairfax Ted O’Brien was thrilled to see the new change rooms opened.

“These facilities are great news for the Swan’s female rugby union players and the Federal Government is proud to support it,” he said.

Queensland Sport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said the facilities would benefit women and girls playing the sport.

“We know having a safe, comfortable place to change, prepare for games and celebrate with teammates after a win means a better playing experience,” he said.

Sunshine Coast Council mayor Mark Jamieson said the change rooms would help lift participation levels.

“Investing in infrastructure like these new change rooms is just one part of demonstrating our commitment to boosting participation by women and girls in community sporting clubs,” he said.

unny Coast surf lifesaving champion Lana Rogers has been forced to wait to defend her Nutri-Grain IronWoman Series title.

Originally slated to take place over three weekends at three beaches in December, January and February, the series has now be reduced to two weekends in February, both to be held at Cudgen Headland Surf Life Saving Club near Kingscliff in northern New South Wales. Rounds 1-3 were on February 12-14, with Rounds 4-6 from February 26-28.

“Although we’ve had to adapt what the Nutri-Grain Series is going to look like this year, we’re just glad that we’ve been able to make this possible,” Surf Life Saving Australia CEO Adam Weir said.

Rogers (pictured), who trains with the Alexandra Headland Surf Lifesaving Club, told the Sunny Coast Times in November that she was not feeling pressure to go back-toback.

“I’m trusting the process and whatever happens happens,” she said.

All rounds will be live on Channel 9 and 9GO!. Racing is from noon-2pm.

FEBRUARY 2021 SUNNY COAST TIMES

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JANUARY 2021 SUNNY COAST TIMES