Jim Fagan
Ten years ago on de-amalgamation night, Saturday 9 March, 2013, I watched the victory celebration outside Noosa Council Chambers at Tewantin.
Les Miserables starring Hugh Jackman was the movie of the moment and I couldn’t help thinking of one of its hit songs, Do You Hear the People Sing?.
Noosa’s freedom fighters were chanting and cheering as the triumphant results from the polling booths were announced from the back of a truck by Noel Playford, of Noosa Independence Alliance.
I was covering it for Noosa Today and I remember reporting: “It was a heady, historic moment and the stuff dreams are made of for Noel, Bob Ansett and their fiercely enthusiastic volunteers.”
Former Noosa MP and strong supporter Glen Elmes was also on the truck and it didn’t take too much imagination to picture Glen (looking nothing like Anne Hathaway) reprising her song and leading Bob, Noel and the 400 or so emotional people there in I Dreamed a Dream.
For Les Noosarables, it was the end to the aggravation of amalgamation in March 2008 and years of hard, frustrating work.
Bob Ansett of Friends of Noosa perhaps summed it up for the crowd when he said: “If you ever wanted an example of the impact of what people power can do, then look at what has been achieved on this historic day. What the rest of the world has done in relation to people power pales into insignificance compared to us.
“The ninth of March is our Independence Day and it should be celebrated every year. Over the last few years I believe I’ve noticed a waning of the community spirit that made Noosa so special but I’ve got to say that from what I saw at the polling booths the spirit is back. It was like show day out there.
“People were laughing. Everyone was catching up with old friends. It was a day of total celebration.”
The chants of “Noosa, Noosa, Noosa” became louder when Noel Playford held up the flag which he said at one time used to fly on the flagpole outside the council chambers.
“It is the Noosa Council flag and it hasn’t been there for five years.”
He pointed to the flagpole, “That’s where it used to be and that’s where it will be next year.
He indicated the flower on the flag.
“This is the Boronia shrub which was thought to be extinct. Arthur Harrold (Noosa conservationist) discovered it in Cooloola National Park in 1971. It’s meant to symbolise the spirit of the Noosa community.
“They tried to extinguish that spirit five years ago and they didn’t. Today is proof of that. We’ve earned the right to have it flying on that flagpole.”
Glen Elmes praised Bob, Noel and all the volunteers for their work.
“They have been just fantastic in making sure the community spirit was alive in this particular part of the world. Just look at the faces of the people here. This is certainly the case.
“We’ve won the right overwhelmingly to get our community back and that is something we can be very proud of today.”
Later in the evening – at just one of the parties all over Noosa–the volunteers were thanked for their efforts at a private celebration at the Dolphins rugby club at Sunshine Beach.
Former Sunshine Coast councillor, Vivien Griffin was there and she told me, “This is a big day, a once in a lifetime day, absolutely wonderful. I started in Noosa Council in 1994, serving with Noel Playford and Bob Abbot and when it was amalgamated I served for a term just to give Bob and Russell Green support and to protect everything in Noosa. I retired last year.”
What did she think of the result?
“Just have a look around. We’re all feeling quite elated. In fact, I think the whole of Noosa is. They took our council away from us and now we’re getting it back.
“I just have enormous respect for Bob Ansett, Jim Berardo and the Friends of Noosa who kept the faith right from when the amalgamation occurred. There are lots of remarkable people involved in this but the standout is Noel Playford.”
And so ended a most soul-stirring day.
