Friday, 21 October, 2022
Thinking of selling? You know who to call
12573164-ET42-22
Breast cancer awareness
Heart behind the hut
House of the year
36-page liftout Property Guide
PAGES 18-21
PAGES 28-29
PAGES 30-31
INSIDE
PR OP ER TY
Punching above his weight By Ron Lane For every coach in the world of amateur boxing, reaching their pinnacle would have to be their selection as coach of the national team, and Mark Evans, owner/coach of the Impact Boxing and Fitness Centre, has reached his pinnacle. On Wednesday last week he was named coach of the Australian team to contest the world championships in Spain 2023. ‘’Man right at this moment I am on top of the world,” Evans’ said. For those who are familiar with Evans’ achievements, the announcement of his appointment does not come as a surprise. First there is his record, established while coaching at his gym, the Cooroy Impact Boxing Academy. Continued page 12 Mark Evans has been named Australian team coach at the World Championships in Spain.
Picture: ROB MACCOLL
Ferry tender cost By Margie Maccoll
12572850-DL42-22
The new Noosa North Shore ferry operator promises larger vehicle ferries, less queues, contemporary payment systems and a streamlined service provided by an experienced operator, Noosa Council staff told last week’s council meeting of their recommended tender choice. But what will be the costs? Council received tenders for the 20-year contract from three companies - incumbent operators Noosa North Shore Ferries, KBRV Services, part of the Kelsian group which operates SeaLink, Australia’s largest ferry operator, and Divers Den Investments (DDI), part of the Estrada Travel Group, which is New Zealand’s largest passenger transport company. Council officers recommend council
Traffic queued for the ferry the length of Moorindil Street, Tewantin in peak time. choose DDI and its tender to supply two newly constructed diesel-fuelled vessels - a 27-vehicle ferry and 12-vehicle ferry along with an emissions offset agreement using Greenfleet offsets through the Yurol forest project.
“At 27 vehicles the single larger ferry exceeds the capacity of both existing ferries by 35 per cent and would eliminate most vehicle queuing issues, allowing DDI to operate only one ferry to comfortably meet service KPIs for all but the busiest times of the year and to significantly simplify the service’s staffing and rostering needs,“ council’s recommendation states. Currently dealing with 770,000 customers a year with all their platforms, websites and customer services in place DDI “have all the tools to deliver on the contract“, the officer said. Cr Amelia Lorentson asked why DDI was preferred over the more sustainable tender from SeaLink which proposed using newly constructed 10-vehicle and 21-vehicle ferry with the 21-vehicle ferry to be propelled by electricity.
Officers said SeaLink had submitted an exceptional tender but it came with a “significant price disadvantage“. Cr Lorentson asked if consideration had been given to an unwanted consequence of increased beach traffic on Noosa North Shore resulting from the use of a larger vehicle ferry. Officers replied that Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) was responsible for beach travel permits and the larger ferries would better combat the long queues in Moorindil Street during peak times and its impact on Tewantin residents. At present, state government permits to Noosa North Shore are required only by overnight campers, not day trippers. Continued page 7