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: ‘More than a place to buy plants’: garden centre to close
Siobhan O’Connor, Moffat Beach: I am writing to express my shock and concern at the impending closure of Steps Garden Centre in Caloundra. My family and I have lived at Moffat Beach since 2019 and I have been a regular customer at the Steps nursery for many reasons including: it provides high quality plants and nursery products; it provides essential employment training, work experience and development of skills to people with intellectual disabilities; it provides volunteering opportunities to people wishing to contribute to their local community; and it provides an outlet for locals to garden and develop a greener and more environmentally sustainable community.
I have always found the friendliness and knowledge of staff and trainees to be of a high standard. I imagine there is a ground swell of support from locals to support this business, which has been a popular and well-known part of our community. I have intentionally supported the nursery due to its primary function of supporting people with disabilities. Many thanks for your consideration.
Dr Brendan McManus: I am rather concerned at reports that the Ohm Street Caloundra garden nursery is to be disbanded. We have been residents of Caloundra for many years and have often purchased high quality plants from this facility. I am well aware that the nursery has an ongoing role in providing valuable training for young people with disabilities. Surely this is a further reason for it to be continued in this dual role of providing high quality products and assisting those young folk.
Richard Williams, Moffat Beach: What is to become of the plant nursery and garden centre? There has been a plant nursery on Ohm Street for about 30 years. Established originally as a Caloundra Council nursery, it has evolved into the current garden centre with various operators and emphasis along the way. In recent years, the centre has flourished under the current manager and team as indicated by the increasing patronage and positive feedback.
Steps’ vision to upgrade the adjacent gardens to encourage more community engagement and support the cafe is to be applauded. Surely the garden centre would complement this development? I believe the centre could continue to be the major attraction for people to visit the campus. Also, with its role in education, training and work experience for people with disabilities, the centre is: “More than a place to buy plants”.
Rose Ann: This is really disappointing. A great little garden centre and lovely staff. Is there a reason, or is it just that it can’t compete with the big green shed?
- Read the story: Town centre site pitched for development
Kris Ty: When my family moved to Yandina, it was a sleepy little country town with lots of charm and where people were friendly. Lately, so much has changed and it has been smashed by development. So much of the town’s character has been lost along the way. It’s sad.
Greg Callow: I grew up here and its sad seeing the massive development. The people are different. Backyards which once were huge are now being sliced up and packed full of soulless generic houses.
- Read the story: Traffic almost doubles as road duplication advances
Jason Maximus: Once Aura is self-sufficient it should stop a lot of traffic coming into Caloundra to access the shops.
Mark Leitch: And then there’s the longer distance travel needs. The Sunshine Coast should have been connected to the rail network 20 years ago. Rail won’t suit everyone’s needs but it will pull a lot of cars off the highway.
Adrian Crennan: Count yourself fortunate. I’m truly miss living there. Small price to pay for paradise.
- Read the story: Councillor blasts development plan for airport’s old runway
Kaggie Williams: Taylor is right and represents many in our community who oppose this project for exactly the reasons stated. My concern is if this goes directly to the state (as reported on ABC radio) the council will have no say at all. That just seems wrong.
- Read the story: Dog owners rally against complex rules
John Thorogood, Maroochydore: That a petition was being circulated to challenge council’s new, draconian ‘dog regulations’ was news to me. Perhaps you’d not heard of it either.
I’m a long-standing dog owner at Maroochydore and find the new dog regulations unduly restrictive, unrepresentative of actual community expectations and frankly, offensive. If I’d know of the petition I’d have signed it. I bet there are many, many others in the same position.
So, council, whatever ‘bark’ you may be hearing from frustrated dog owners, you can expect a much greater ‘bite’ when the next election rolls around.
- Read the story: Mum leads petition to open school grounds after hours
Barbara Kavenagh, Buddina: Although I understand the thinking behind the petition to open school playgrounds out of school hours, I’m a bit concerned about how the system would operate.
For example, who would be responsible for the behaviour of young people using the facilities? Would teachers be rostered on to deal with emergencies, would the principal have to be on duty 365 days a year, or would our hard-working police force need to patrol more regularly?
Who would supply the extra toilet paper, clean the toilets, pay for extra water usage? What about public liability? And, yes, schools are owned by the government (and by us as taxpayers), but can we break into a government office at the weekend because we need to use a computer?
- Read the story: Site earmarked for water park, wave pool and resort sold
Mick Russell: Maybe just dig it out and build another dam, then we might get some decent water pressure.
Johnny Wuttrich: Would love to win lotto and turn it into a serviced affordable trailer park.
Joe Suttill: It will be turned into housing.
- Read the story: Caravan park expansion plans open for public feedback
Allison Clark: This would be fantastic for my daughter as she can afford a tiny house but has nowhere to put it that is safe and close to the hospital where she works fulltime.
Gemma Hardie: The access in and out of it is truly awful and would add stress to a section of road which already does not cope so will be interesting to see if it goes ahead.
- Open the envelope
Margaret Wilkie, Peregian Beach: An action described by the Robodebt Royal Commissioner as “crude and cruel” and “neither fair nor legal”, and the names of those responsible, has been in a sealed envelope for the past few years. Is it now time to open the envelope or has it fallen ‘off the table’ to reside permanently in a dark and forgotten corner? Just asking.
- Celebrating footy, confronting violence
Garry Reynolds: Australia does sport better than almost anywhere on earth. The AFL and NRL grand finals aren’t just games, they’re part of our national rhythm. Streets hum with excitement, kids pull on team colours, and families gather for what feels like a cultural holiday. It’s one of our proudest traditions.
But alongside the cheers and barbecues, another story unfolds: quieter, darker, and far more confronting.
While fans decorate their cars and plan parties, domestic violence workers prepare for a surge in calls. They strengthen safety plans, ready emergency accommodation, and brace for what they know is coming. Because in Australia, football finals can bring out the best in us, and the most insidious.
For many women, the final siren doesn’t signal celebration, it signals danger. Domestic violence calls spike sharply around major sporting events. On State of Origin nights, assaults rise by 40 per cent. After the NRL grand final, NSW sees a 25 per cent jump in reports. These aren’t statistics; they’re families spending the biggest sporting weekends of the year in fear.
Sport doesn’t cause domestic violence. But alcohol, gambling, heightened emotion and aggressive behaviour can escalate existing patterns of abuse. We’ve seen it recently: bottles thrown at referees, crowds hurling abuse, anger broadcast into living rooms. When aggression is normalised in public, it becomes easier to excuse in private.
All this comes during a national crisis. Fifty‑two women have been killed this year. Police are called to domestic violence incidents every three minutes in NSW, every eleven minutes in Victoria. Queensland records the highest rates in the nation. Services are on high alert – not for the game, but for the aftermath.
Men must be part of the solution. Football doesn’t make a man violent, he makes that choice. And he can make a different one. If you see aggression escalating, speak up. Silence is part of the problem.
Australia loves its footy. But our families deserve to feel safe too. We can celebrate our sporting traditions proudly – and still insist on respect, accountability and safety in every home.
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.
