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. Some of the opinions below are comments from SCN’s Facebook page.
- Read the story: Bridge to close overnight for traffic switch
Clint Smith: The situation with Doonella Bridge and its challenges/progress amuses me for various reasons. Firstly, Noosa Council has been aware of the situation regarding the bridge for some year now (I’m sure it would’ve been discussed at length behind closed doors many years ago). I’m curious as to why its renovation/repair wasn’t fast-tracked and implemented during Covid lockdown, maybe five years ago.
Secondly, a lack of good communication with the public and then amendments made on the run… probably suggests council doesn’t really have long-term forward planning… and if it does, it perhaps needs to consider one for progressive councils elected to adhere to, or at least consider forward plans.
Thirdly, considering the elected councillors are actually paid for their “services to the community “, one hopes they’ve learnt some good takeaways from this challenge. I’m more hopeful than sure of this. After all, councils and governments don’t really seem to make many forward plans with infrastructure, it’s a “watch, wait and react” mentality. Never mind, it’s entertaining at least.
Tracie Fleming: You have been promising this for a while! Decades in fact. Stop talking and fix this bloody bridge.
- Read the story: Holiday park changes spark petition
Stacey Hannah: Having lived on the Coast since 1986, I think it is time to stop the same families who have been booking the same sites for 20 years, which does not allow for many other tourist to be able to stay at these parks. Why should the same families be able to book the same sites like a holiday home and no one else can book a site? I rang on two occasions to try and book for friends for the following Christmas, 10 months ahead, and was told these sites are booked for permanent people that have been booking for 20 years. All caravan parks should be available for everyone, not just the select few. I would love to know how these long-term campers can secure the same sites? I would love other people’s experiences and opinions on this practice.
Jorgen Skov: Cotton Tree caravan park. We stopped going there years ago because it is no longer value for money. Highly overrated.
- Read the story: Grandmother waits months for approved care
Monica Simpson: The wait times on packages is ridiculous. A few years ago when it was still a home care package, and not this new system, my mum required a level four package as she was bedbound. It took probably a year to work her way through the levels to eventually get to a level four because we were virtually told someone had to die for mum to move up a level to get to level four. While we were grateful in the end for her to get there eventually, it takes away the elation knowing someone had to die for mum to get there.
David Tones: This is another example of a system failing us, and sadly, there’s no end in sight to this. Australia’s health and aged care systems are in deep trouble and population growth isn’t helping. It’s been reported that Queensland is to see another population increase of at least 2.5m in its south east corner by 2032. Infrastructure is in trouble.
- Read the story: Girls rally to kick school soccer ban out
Ashley Bennett-Post, Highett, Victoria: I can’t see any harm with the girls kicking the ball around with the boys at recess and lunch. However, if it’s a competition match between schools, separate teams mainly due to injuries.
- Read the story: Council site in path of transport project
Paul Dunning: Absolutely no reason to take The Wave into Maroochydore, that will create massive traffic jams on top of the already existing traffic jams. There is already a bus to the airport from there. Just run The Wave beside the motorway – there is heaps of room there to expand.
Tim Freeman: I’d be more concerned how people get from Mooloolaba to Mountain Creek. No car parks east of the motorway and 90 per cent of e-bikes are now illegal.
Corey Dark: Build heavy rail to Sunshine Coast Airport. Also hurry up and duplicate the rail line to Nambour. That was meant to have been done in 2007.
- Read the story: Measures announced to reduce homelessness in town
Owen Connor, Nambour: I live in Nambour and I volunteer at the Anglican Church Friday burger night. There I talk to and interact with many homeless people, genuine human beings who are trapped in a scenario not of their own making. I mean, who really chooses homelessness, with a wicked winter here including cold, wet surroundings? Council, state government, police and others are charged with getting Nambour on its feet. According to statistics, which could reasonably be more than 50 per cent under the real figure, there are at least 1,200 and more homeless people on the Sunshine Coast. And mostly, because of complaints from people who own houses or who are housed, use excuses to contact police to move people on. I mean, if the police told me to move on, I’d ask them, where do I move on to? Maybe 100 metres down the street? Where? This is an outrage and an insult to humanity. I have very, very rarely seen evidence of much humanity in Nambour.
- Read the story: Maleny Dairies responds to questions over interstate milk
Cheryl Watson, Maleny: I am so disappointed to hear about the dairy farmer who is no longer to supply Maleny Dairies with milk from his farm. I would have thought, in these tough times, we would all be trying to support those in our local community. Like many others, I was supporting Maleny Dairies for this reason. Now we learn that, at times, we are buying milk imported from other states, while local dairies falter. For many years now I have supported Maleny Dairies products. Regrettably I will no longer be doing so.
Richard Courtenay, Witta: Having been a dairy farmer I understand that a processor has to test milk from each supplier to make sure it meets the standards regarding bovine medications, infections and other things, which may not pass the strict regulations that suppliers have to match. This may not be the reason in this case, but it would be wrong to blame the processor without knowing the reason to cease collecting milk from this supplier.
- Read the story: Last Lightning foundation player departs after 10 seasons
Kerry Redman, Forster NSW: I really hope Cara Koenen is not leaving the Sunshine Coast to make way for more overseas players, leaving less room for young Aussie girls working hard to get a chance.
- The other side of immigration
Garry Reynolds, Peregian Springs: The immigration debate often gets stuck on numbers. But at a morning men’s group meet‑up, I was reminded that when you strip away the statistics and talk about people, something very different happens. The conversation stops dividing us and starts binding us.
Two of our blokes spoke lovingly about their wives – both born overseas. One described the exhilaration of sharing his wife’s joy at her Australian citizenship ceremony. It wasn’t just pride in her achievement; it was the shared spirit in the room. Newcomers from every corner of the world stood together, declaring their hope, gratitude and desire to contribute to the country they had chosen. It was Australia at its best.
Another mate said when his wife’s family arrived from Germany, they struggled with our language and customs. At their first Aussie get‑together, they were asked to “bring a plate”. So they did – literally. A single, empty plate. Embarrassing then, but now retold with laughter and affection. It remains a reminder of how bewildering a new country can be and how generous communities can be in helping newcomers find their feet.
I’ve seen this generosity from the other side too. As a manager, I supervised a brilliant Sri Lankan couple. They asked me to sponsor their citizenship application – a privilege I didn’t take lightly. They dreamed of raising a child in Australia, though the journey wasn’t easy.
One morning, the wife arrived distressed: she’d been fined for speeding, rushing fresh sperm to a fertility clinic. I helped her write a letter explaining the situation. The authorities showed compassion and months later she came to me beaming – she was pregnant. Their little Australian dream had begun.
And then there was my Filipino colleague whose South American boyfriend enlisted me in a work dinner plot. When she stepped out of the hotel lift, there he was beaming with flowers the size of a shrub and a proposal. Today they’re raising a family and contributing to the country they love.
- Your pick
Phil Broad, Nambour:
There were 24 horses standing in line
The jockeys are ready marking the time
In an instant the colour turns red into green
And all of the rainbow colours are seen
For the thousands that watch from the start to the end
Along the straight and down to the bend
Hoping on name, number or breed
Tis the courage they see of both rider and steed
With the sound of 96 cannons at once
The thundering hooves move in a bunch
Until a mare backed twenty to one
Bursts through the pack with a winning run.
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. Some of the opinions above are comments from SCN’s Facebook page.
