By MEGAN OGLE
JONTY Redwood is not your typical 14-year-old; while his friends are surfing, the high school student is busy rallying community support for his online petition he plans to submit to council in the next few months.
Jonty is asking council to consider expanding on-leash dog areas to the north and south of the Sunshine Beach Surf Club so he can walk Skittles, the family dog, to the off-leash dog beach away from dangerous and congested roads.
The off-leash dog beach at the end of Sunshine Beach has limited parking which causes cars to park along small suburban streets, making it difficult for Jonty to walk Skittles safely along Seaview Terrace and adjoining streets.
“These days in Noosa we can take our dogs to cafes next [to] where people eat, we can take them to Bunnings so why can’t we walk them along our open public space of the beach?” Jonty said.
Noosa Council Community Services director Alan Fox Rogers said Jonty’s petition was a “great example of democracy” and once submitted to council “would be considered fully”.
“We would consider the petition and balance the varying different points of view,” Mr Rogers said.
“There are issues of public safety and amenities, but the aim is to find a balance.”
Jonty said he hoped Noosa Council will “trial” his suggestion as he believed on-leash dog beaches would be “favourable and beneficial to everybody in the community”.
You can sign Jonty’s petition at www.avaaz.org/en/petition.
