Do you have an opinion to share? Submit a Letter to the Editor at Sunshine Coast News via news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au. You must include your name and suburb for accountability, credibility and transparency. Preference will be given to letters of 100 words or less.
- Read the story: Surf club cafe set to close as petition calls for reprieve
Joy Sargood, Buderim: Noooooo … I love my little coffee stop hub. That’s so sad. It was an incentive for my walks from Buderim Garden Village to the cafe hub for my reward and great coffee and lovely staff, who knew you and your coffee quirks. To see every man and his dog sitting, chatting, young and old, it breathed community and unity into us all. Oh please let them have a spot back there when all the renovations are done. Be doing yourself a service too and show your support to the community.
Alan Pick: This coffee bar is the centre of a daily community event. As the petition states, hundreds of people get in touch there daily. For some of the older people on their daily swims, walks, runs, this might be the main social opportunity of the day. Personally, I have met and chatted with regular locals and tourists there. The surf club is a community service provider and this coffee shop supports the daily exercise community that gathers there. It is something the surf club should be proud to fully support. Shame on Mooloolaba Surf Club for failing its community.
Ken Hutchinson: In this day and age, everyone is answerable to everyone’s questions. Is it right? Definitely not. It’s just the way everything is going. Don’t give up, hold you’re your head high, it’s not your fault. They probably know someone who wants your business. Fight for what you have created, it is yours. Trust nobody. They will bring you down to get your business. Good luck, hope you win.
Sharon Mendes: Who is saying this coffee shop is to close? Seems odd after 10 years that just on school holidays this closure happens? Council should do more if they are not the ones. Who wants it closed?
Kirsten: This cafe is good for dog owners who can’t take pets on leads into the bistro upstairs.
Ian and Maxine Barnes, New Zealand: Such a shame to hear that the coffee shop is closing. We made it a regular morning call when staying nearby during our visits from New Zealand.
Maureen and Michael Broadly, Melbourne: Regarding the cafe attached to Mooloolaba Surf Life Saving Club, please don’t close. It’s really an important social catch-up spot for us all. We’re from Melbourne and visit your lovely beach every few months. Please save this amazing coffee spot.
Name withheld: The owner of Hussle and Flow started from scratch 10 years ago when I was on the surf club committee as chairperson of the Junior Activities Committee.
At the time, we were told by the life saving club that due to the huge debt the club had incurred from previous committee mismanagement that we wouldn’t have funds to buy new gear for the Nippers program.
I knew the owner from his other coffee outlet and approached him to see if he would consider renting the space currently occupied by Hussle and flow. All rent money for the first few years went to the Mooloolaba Nippers program, this changed over time once the club’s financial position changed.
He fitted it out, paid rent well above the sqm rate at the time for the space, he arranged appropriate approvals to get going.
I really hope that this space is converted to make the first aid room larger, however, I do think what is more likely is that the surf club will try and open another version somewhere on its footprint.
- Read the story: Bridge design revealed but timeframes still unclear
John Tonkes, Dulong: To direct traffic into and through the already congested Bli Bli centre to a new bridge is madness. There seems to be an opportunity to make an exit from the Bli Bli Rd roundabout and from there over the river. Why remove the old bridge when it’s a perfect opportunity for cycling/jogging/pedestrians? Using the proposed location is a really bad move!
Patrick Witteman: Gympie has been waiting for a new bridge to Southside for 20 years. Gympie is totally neglected by state government as it’s a safe seat but the local member does nothing. Gridlock every day but procrastination by TMR, can’t even build a small 2-lane bridge over the railway at Glanmire, lucky you on the Coast.
- Read the story: ‘We listened’: midnight fireworks returning after hiatus
Colleen Goodin, Coolum Beach: Following the recent weather events, and the subsequent cost of the clean-up, I would suggest that the community would be happy to forego the expense of fireworks to see households helped to clear the debris around their property and return things to normal.
- Read the story: Appeal lodged over refusal of backpacker complex
Sam Eddy, Noosaville: The last thing we need is more “short” term accommodation. Long term stable housing for lower income workers is essential at an affordable rate. As a local resident I fully support council’s approach to this matter.
Over the last decade, long term rentals have all but disappeared in this area. I certainly do not see why get-rich-quick schemes such as short term rentals are of benefit to the community. Many in my street are not tenanted for months on end with owners choosing to short let, cashing in on busy seasons.
Socioeconomic lack of housing and social issues plague further social problems like domestic violence, gambling, violence/crime and child disadvantage, unstable housing and an unequal balance of power within the community.
More power to council in these matters to elicit some sort of control for equal balance.
Name withheld, Currimundi: So, Noosa Council knocks back a hostel for backpackers in its area. It has also knocked back cabins in the Great Sandy National Park and a proposal to build affordable accommodation for the less well-off.
It all reeks of selfishness on a grand scale, “this is ours and the rest of you can’t have any”.
This mighty council has missed the bleeding obvious. Noosa is a tourist area and to operate effectively, they need tourists to come and spend money their money there. They also need workers to service to area, hence the affordable accommodation. Otherwise, the place will just fade into oblivion and become another failed backwater.
- Read the story: Work starts on $30m upgrade of busy junction
Peter Cox, Kawana: This recent announcement reinforces that our politicians have zero foresight into what our future infrastructure needs will be. The Transport Minister, who is also the Buderim MP, stated during his media conference that “the Sunshine Coast has been one of the fastest growing regions in Queensland, if not Australia”. It is, yet the proposed upgrade is merely a band-aid solution which will barely meet today’s needs, let alone the next 10 to 20 years.
If these elected members actually took our region seriously, there would be more considered planning into how the population would move about in the medium-to-long term.
For example, the proposed roadworks at the intersection of Mooloolaba Road and Sugar Road should be grade separated. This would enable northbound traffic coming off the Sunshine Motorway (and heading to Maroochydore) to not interact with traffic on Mooloolaba Road; plus they could future-proof the design with provisions for the rail/wave public transport corridor.
Instead of kicking the can down the road and wasting millions upon millions of taxpayer dollars, why not build it right the first time, which would avoid the massive costs and inconvenience in another five to 10 years?
They had foresight back in 1935 when they built the Story Bridge (Brisbane) wide enough for six lanes, even though they only needed two at the time. So why do we struggle with this concept 90 years later?
- Read the story: Firm linked to global mega-projects behind $2.6b ‘tourism city’
Lynette Saxton: Developers are desperate to merge the Sunshine Coast with Brisbane so they can call us a “city”. I note the community will be consulted on this proposal. Well, good luck with that, I say. We have just had two rounds of community consultation conducted by the state government on the Sunshine Coast Airport (the first by the Labor state government and the second by the now LNP state government). The community (most of which were several community groups representing thousands of residents) were completely ignored and the developer, ie the Sunshine Coast Airport, got everything they wanted.
It seems to me that even though the community are the ones who are impacted by these decisions, the consultation process is a farce and is just a box that needs to be ticked.
- Read the story: Petition pushes back against $1m toilet block design
Glenys Adams: First thing I would do is question the costs – $1m for a toilet block is a ridiculous amount. As for the businesses, it’s not their concern, it is a convenience for locals and tourists and will not affect business takings at all.
- Read the story: New active transport links open for public consultation
Kathryn Buder, Mountain Creek: Sunshine Coast Regional Council wants to remove more than 85 car parks on Molokai Drive and Karawatha Drive in Mountain Creek, which is not even half of the full length of the dual bikeway from Mooloolaba to the University (M2U) project.
On its website, in answer to the FAQ: “Will there be impacts to off/on street parking along the route?” Council said it “will aim to maintain current car parking supply, where feasible.”
This is obviously not a transparent and truthful answer. Parking is vital to residents, so they’re trying to hide the facts. Search M2U and have your say online before Friday December 5.
Geoffrey Barford, Mountain Creek: I am concerned about Sunshine Coast Regional Council’s proposal for a new bike path from Mooloolaba to the university, which seems to prioritise e-mobility over motorists who contribute through vehicle registration fees and road taxes.
While promoting cycling is important, the needs of those who rely on cars for daily transportation should not be overlooked. The proposed changes include removal of all parking which will inconvenience residents and create unnecessary traffic disruptions. It’s essential that council strikes a balance, ensuring that both motorists and cyclists can coexist on our roads without one group being unfairly favoured over the other.
- Read the story: Airport development plan given green light
Muriel Collings, Alexandra Headland: We need major airlines to step up and pick up on discontinued flights to domestic sites like Townsville and Newcastle. Sunshine Coast residents should not have to travel to Brisbane to access flights to these destinations.
- Read the story: Teen charged after e-bike crash kills eight-year-old
Campbell White: Under-18 children who run foul of the law for life-endangering activities on all types of e-scooters etcetera, the blame and physical costs must come back on the parents and only then will irresponsible parents held to account, intelligently, form a responsible positioning on their children’s actions. They are a menace and life-threatening to society.
Glyni Cumming: Our wonderful young people, especially young men, have found a new way to challenge themselves physically. Some ride their bicycles on one wheel like horses rearing or trapeze artists. Others on e-bikes and e-scooters enjoy speeding down the road, sometimes facing the wrong side, weaving in and out of traffic with consummate ease.
They no longer worry about wearing helmets, or if they do, the clips dangle loose in the breeze. They wear absolutely no safety clothing and, often with a similarly-clad friend balancing behind, they wear black T-shirts and trousers, so they cannot be seen at night.
This is a comparatively new phenomenon, so one cannot blame our law enforcement officers for not being out on the streets to police the matter and ensure public safety. However, the Sunshine Coast News regularly features a growing roll-call of e-bike and scooter accident victims listed at SCUH.
And now we have a young lad of 8 dead, and a 15-year-old in custody. It is absolutely heart-wrenching for us to read about this, and utterly devastating to all the parents.
So, I congratulate the principals of Sunshine Beach, Coolum, and Noosa District High Schools for their initiative in banning their students’ use of e-bikes and e-scooters from next year. I hope their parent body gives them full support.
I can assure you that those of us in the older age group will cheer. Every time my friends meet up, this topic emerges for discussion. We are currently living in fear of colliding with or being run down by a youngster on an e-bike or scooter every time we venture onto a public pathway. We are bemused by our civic leaders’ failure to take rapid action to solve this growing problem.
By all means, let our wonderful young people be challenged, but let it be in set locations, just as they are in designated skateboard areas, away from the danger of traffic and the threat to pedestrians.
Helen Turner, Buderim: There is total confusion among riders and drivers as to the classification, rules and regulations of these vehicles. Younger people being ill-prepared for a life amongst traffic. May I suggest that anyone aged 15 and under – across the board can only use pedal-power. At the very least it gives them some exercise and should keep them out of harms’ way. At 16 a licence should be required to ride anything that is powered by other means. Thank you.
Ray Edwards, Cotton Tree: My view is a simple approach. Motorised vehicles, either two wheeled or more, should be on the road and pedestrians should be on the pavement per the original plans of old. I would, however, allow disabled carts to operate on the pavement.
Basically, would we accept a 500cc motorcycle on the pavement? No. So why a bike or scooter at traveling at 30kph putting all and sundry at risk? Keep it simple and split powered from non-powered and put them on the road. Bike lanes are also for peddle bikes non-motorised transport.
Shaun Henderson: I am 60 years old and own two e-trikes and they supply me with a great cardio workout plus upper torso. I obey all road rules and give way to everyone, including e-bikes, as our riding styles are different. It would be a shame to have to lose them as they get me and my little Jack Russel out of the house, he loves it too.
Do you have an opinion to share? Submit a Letter to the Editor at Sunshine Coast News via news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au. You must include your name and suburb for accountability, credibility and transparency. Preference will be given to letters of 100 words or less.
