JANUARY
NEW YEAR EMBRACED
Enthusiastically shouted greetings, hugs and smiles dominated the scene on Noosa’s Main Beach on New Year’s Eve as several hundred teenagers and youths milled around to celebrate the new year. This year the atmosphere was a little chaotic but much quieter than the past few years where the occasion had been marred by drunken and aggressive behaviour.
SOVEREIGN TAKEOVER
A self organised collective of about 20 people under the banner, Community Village, moved on to the decommissioned Noosa TAFE site on Friday 5 January, declaring they, as “the Sovereign Kabi Kabi Peoples“ to be caretakers of the 27 acre site, with plans to turn it into a safe setting for homeless. A police officer warned participants not to go into buildings because it was hazardous and would be trespassing. Following the encounter, Noosa MP Sandy Bolton posted on her website that, “as the MP for Noosa, I will fight any efforts to further divide our community or delay this site being reinvigorated for the benefit of our community“.
AUSTRALIA DAY HEATS UP
As controversy continued to reign over Australia Day celebrations across the country, Noosa Lions and Rotary worked together to host a festival for the whole community. Both Noosa and Sunshine Coast councils hosted citizenship ceremonies on the day. But the decision by Sunshine Coast Council to cancel its Australia Day Awards ceremony drew criticism from Fairfax MP Ted O’Brien as both he and Wide Bay MP Llew
O’Brien weighed into the Australia Day debate online.
FEBRUARY
TWO RESTAURANTS CLOSE
With a site development imminent and the rising costs of running a restaurant, Andrew Powell decided to close the doors permanently on his beloved Fratellini Restorante Italiano after 13 years on Sunday 4 February. This was followed by a bunch of sad restaurant closures throughout the year, including Alba by Noosa-based celebrity chef Peter Kuruvita, just two years after opening. Financial backers, led by Rod McCready’s Altum Property Group, gave Mr Kuruvita just 24 hours’ notice that they would not be renewing his two-year contract.
DIGGER BAR DISPUTE
Membership suspensions, a social media ’smear campaign’, and the Diggers Bar potentially closing down had the Tewantin Noosa RSL Club and Sub Branch members hoping to come to a resolution in an ongoing dispute.
$148M REPAIR COST
The repairs to Noosa roads and infrastructure from a two-week rain event from 22 March to 5 April 2022 resulted in the biggest project in Noosa Shire history, with spending about 10 times the annual budget and as much as the combined capital works budgets from the 2014-2020 term.
MARCH
RACE BOWS OUT
Run for 44 years, the King of the Mountain race came to an end after organisers, the Cooroy Pomona Lions Club, decided stricter conditions imposed on the race by Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) would “compromise its essence“.
BRIDGE JUMP DEATH
A man’s body was recovered on Sunday 24 March after he died while jumping off a bridge at Noosa Sound in the early hours of the morning. Queensland Police said the man, who was a visitor to the region, failed to
resurface after he jumped into the water off a bridge at Noosa Parade.
TRUE HERO AWARDED
Running into a house in flames and carrying a severely burnt man to safety on his surfboard earnt Cooroy resident Lachlan Ashlin a Commendation for Brave Conduct (CBC).
APRIL
NEW COUNCIL IS DECLARED
Frank Wilkie is declared as Noosa’s new Mayor. With 36,326 votes of the enrolled 44,127 voters counted, the ECQ declared Noosa councillors to be Amelia Lorentson, Jess Phillips, Nicola Wilson, Brian Stockwell, Tom Wegener and Karen Finzel.
TRAGIC FIRE CLAIMS HOME
In the early hours of Saturday morning Gary and Yoko Clist were desperately trying to save their Cooroibah house from fire but within minutes their house and granny flat along with 60-year collections of photographs, rare books, historic surfboards and kneeboards were lost.
NOOSA MOURNS ASHLEE
The Noosa community shared their heartbreaking tributes for a former Noosa osteopath who was among the six victims killed at a mass stabbing in Westfield Bondi Junction. Mother Ashlee Good, 38, was attacked while shopping with her nine-month-old baby and died in hospital on Saturday 13 April.
NPA WALKS AWAY
Noosa Parks Association (NPA), the shire’s leading conservation group for more than 60 years, walked away from its conditional support for a commercial Cooloola Great Walk in April, calling on the state government to do the same.
THOUSANDS PAY RESPECTS
Birdsong heralded the dawn as thousands of Noosa residents surrounded the Tewantin cenotaph and stretched along Poinciana Avenue in a strong show of support for Tewantin Noosa RSL sub branch at the Anzac Day service on 25 April. The parade and service later in the morning also drew a record crowd.
