Laurie at the podium

81 year old Noosaville resident, Laurie Cowled, founder of the Cowled Foundation has just been recognised as one of the state’s most outstanding older volunteers in the Premier’s Awards for Queensland Seniors. She outlines her vast, innovative contribution in helping Queensland women achieve their academic goals as well as her numerous overseas projects. She’s 81 years young and still powering. An inspiration for us all. She starts by telling Mark Rodriquez her reaction to receiving the award.

Laurie receives her award from Premier, Anna Bligh and Community Services Minister, Karen Struthers

Part One: Runs 5′42″

Part Two: Runs 5′27″

Check your accounts and work with Unitywater

Jon Black says that they have no systemic issues and that it’s important for customers to check their accounts and to work with Unitywater to fix any mistakes. He says they need to be customer-focussed or they won’t succeed and he denies that the grid technology is outdated; in fact some cleaning technology is world-leading.
Part two. Runs 6′52″

Expect big price rises

Jon Black says Unitywater are working to give the two councils that own it financial returns and he predicts a large increase in the price to consumers of water.
Part three. Runs 5′27″

“Unitywater is not a dinasaur”

Unitywater has spent up big to give itself a recognisable name. Jon Black rejects any notion that they’re a dinosaur operation.
Part four. Runs 3′48″

Public forum September 7th

The Unitywater CEO will be addressing a forum, hosted by Noosa MP Glen Elmes at the J on Tuesday September 7th from 3.30 till 5.00pm. Due to the significant turnout expected, you are asked to register your attendance by phoning Glen Elmes’ office on 5449 8788. Noosa Community Radio will be airing the forum on the following day, Wednesday 8th September at 12 noon.

Kin Kin quarry protesters at Council chambers, Nambour

Kin Kin quarry protesters deliver their message

Economics

Last year a study by the University of New Newcastle identified Noosa as the most vulnerable non-metropolitan area in Australia for potential job loss. Our Wide Bay neighbours in Maryborough were the second most vulnerable. The questioner is Brian Stockwell, president of the association.
Runs 9′11″

Broadband

Improving access to the digital economy, reducing the cost of communication and facilitating educational opportunities through higher speed and reliable internet access was the most common issue raised by the poll of members. For example, one noted that Noosa would be one of the last cabs off the rank in Labor’s National Broad Band Network plans, with many smaller centres connecting well before us. Others commented on the potential to reduce the cost of doing business on the coast, considering Maroochydore is an STD phone call.
Runs 8′26″

Environment

Noosa’s lifestyle and economy have been built on decades of community endeavour to protect our natural assets. Climate change endangers much of what people here fought to protect. Extreme weather events, particularly violent storms, have damaged our roads and other infrastructure, bringing flooding and hardship to urban and farming communities. Rising temperatures are linked to reduced spawning at the endangered Mary River Cod Hatchery as the temperature has not got dropped enough over the last two years. Erosion threatens our iconic Noosa River, the beaches and foreshores. Despite this, the federal government’s “Caring for Our Country” program invests less in Noosa than the Natural Heritage Trust program before it.
Runs 8′25″

Questions from the floor

These questions from the floor were about broadband and the parties’ allocation of preferences.
Runs 5′53″

Closing statements

To sum up, the candidates were asked to explain the three most important differences between their own and the other parties, and why those differences are important to Noosa and Wide Bay. In part one, you’ll hear Warren Truss and Santo Ferraro, in part two we’ll finish with Nikolee Ansell, Jim McDonald and Ken Herschell.
Part one Runs 6′20″

Part two Runs 10′06″

Photos by Yanni Photography

Photos by Yanni Photography

One of the most popular musicals of all time, “Fiddler on the Roof”, will be performed 15 times this September at Noosa Arts Theatre. Based on Yiddish tales, Fiddler on the Roof is set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. The story centres on Tevye, father of five daughters, and his attempts to maintain family and Jewish religious traditions while outside influences encroach upon their lives. He must cope with both the strong-willed actions of his three older daughters—each one’s choice of husband moves further away from the customs of her faith—and with the edict of the Tsar that evicts the Jews from their village, Anatevka. For performance dates and tickets phone 5449 9343 Monday to Saturday 9am to noon, counter sales Monday to Saturday 9am to noon or online at Noosa Arts Theatre or an hour before curtain up, if you’re feeling lucky. Diet Simon talked to the director, David Williams, and the lead actor, Joe Jurisevich.
Runs 4′09″