A 10-year strategy to identify, protect and promote the region’s heritage has been acknowledged with a significant accolade.
Sunshine Coast Council’s Heritage Plan 2021-2031 was recognised as the winner of the significant projects category at the Queensland Heritage Awards.
National Trust of Australia (Queensland) board director Fiona Gardiner said the initiative was well-executed and comprehensive.
“The judges admired the project for its extensive community consultation and engagement and see it as an exemplar for other local governments,” she said.
“The project was found to be innovative for the way in which it incorporated a heritage levy, which is not something widely used by other local governments in Queensland.
“The judges believe the project successfully set out a vision for heritage, integrated across First Nations, landscapes, buildings, collections and stories.”
Councillor David Law said the award reflected the work of the council’s cultural heritage services team and community members who contributed their knowledge and passion to preserving and sharing local heritage.
He also outlined the purpose of the plan, which was developed with community consultation.
“(It) gives council a clear, practical framework to guide how we identify, protect and manage our heritage assets, making sure they’re properly considered as our region continues to grow,” he said.
“Our heritage is something we all share. It tells the story of how the Sunshine Coast has evolved. Protecting it now means those stories are still here for future generations.
“Heritage isn’t just about preserving old places; it’s about recognising what makes the Sunshine Coast unique and making sure we carry that forward as we plan for the future.”
Cr Law detailed some of the plan being put into action.
“Five years in, we’re seeing the heritage plan translate into action, from grants supporting local museums to hands-on conservation work.
“The Historian in Residence program, community heritage activations at places like Bankfoot House and Landsborough Museum, and the digitisation of more than 20,000 images from the Bill Robinson archive are just some of the ways the Heritage Plan is bringing our local history to the fore.”
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The plan provides the council with a framework to guide the identification, protection, conservation and management of the region’s heritage, and was designed to ensure that council effectively manages and conserves the region’s heritage assets.
The plan’s vision declares that ‘our heritage is our gift for the future’. It has been structured around the five outcome areas of knowledge, conservation, support, communication, and advocacy.
