Noosa Waters Residents Social Media - Facebook and Instagram

Transcription

1 Noosa Waters Residents Social Media - Facebook and Instagram Noosa Waters Residents Association (NWRA) is now linked into the world of social media with a Facebook page and an Instagram account - part of our Association s expanding communications. Check them out! Go to the NWRA ( web site and click on the Facebook or Instagram link at the top of the page. Take a Facebook ride with the impressive video drone footage of the flotilla, cleverly taken by by Sean & Nikki Cox. Upload your own photo or video! It is a great opportunity to showcase your photos from social and sporting events. Owners and residents can upload articles, comments and photographs - the more people who post, the more interesting and useful the pages. We hope to see your posts and enjoy the sharing! National Broadband Network (NBN) Ins and Outs NBN expects availability of service to Noosa Waters in August They are installing street cabinets called nodes. Each street cabinet will allow the NBN network signal to travel over optic fibre from the exchange to the cabinet, and then connect with the existing copper network to reach your premises. When the NBN is operational, customers will not need to have a phone line to access the internet, as is the case now. You will have 18 months to change to the NBN so do not feel pressured to change over. There are many telephone and internet companies who are resellers of NBN services. Such information is available on the NBN website ( It is important to be wary of signing long term contracts until you are satisfied with the speeds you will actually achieve. Also, not all resellers insist on long contracts. Speed - A Major NBN Consideration NBN should provide faster access to internet data than currently available. NBN sells speed packages (i.e. 25Mbs, 50Mbs and 100Mbs) to resellers, thereby insinuating those speeds can be achieved on each of those connections. However, to allow for those speeds to be delivered, the reseller must also purchase adequate bandwidth from NBN. The bandwidth issue is the key reason why many users have found the NBN to be slower than their previous connections. Actual speeds (as opposed to up to speeds) will vary widely between resellers. Some NBN customers are achieving speeds as low as 1-500th of the up to speed packages signed up for. You can test your current service speed, online: There have been many problems reported regarding NBN services. Currently, resellers are pointing the finger at the NBN and the NBN is pointing their finger at the resellers. In spite of the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) requesting resellers since at least 2011 refrain from advertising NWRA 2017 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Noosa Waters Residents Association 2017 AGM 7PM - TUESDAY, 19TH SEPTEMBER, 2017 GOOD SHEPHERD LUTHERAN CHAPEL Golden Penda splendour in Noosa Waters - a wonderful display of flowers and colour this year! up to broadband speeds because they can be highly misleading, major providers have snubbed the ACCC s demands and continue to advertise maximum speeds to customers. The NBN has a database giving estimated internet speed estimates for all premises with existing copper phone lines. While retailers (many hundreds) who sell the NBN to customers can request speed estimates on behalf of would-be customers before they sign up, this very rarely happens. As the NWRA believes such data should be publicly available, we have requested our local Federal member, Llew O Brien, lobby for his constituents so that each person can find out directly the maximum speed to expect before they approach a provider (ISP). Llew in turn has lobbied the Minister for Communications. To keep up to date please join the Noosa Waters Cable TV/ Internet group on the Sports & Social Group tab on our web site ( Noosa Council webpage provides a comprehensive explanation about NBN and it encourages residents to access the NBN website for services and to register for updates - Gary Trevithick & James Taylor Join Noosa Waters Residents Association Membership $15 p.a. + $5 to join Neighbourhood Watch

2 Noosa Waters Residents Association President s Report Dear Members and Residents, The season of colder mornings and sunny clear days is now with us. I am sure we all appreciate the wonderful weather at this time of the year and the focus it brings to the special benefits of our own Noosa Waters environment. Our Christmas 2016 boat parade and house lighting was again a wonderful display. It certainly makes for a very festive spirit within Noosa Waters at this special time of the year. Thank you to all the residents who participated. We look forward to even more people lighting-up for Christmas 2017! Council, the Lock and Canal: We continue to work closely with Council to monitor maintenance works and expenditures on the lock and pumping systems and canal bed in front of the revetment wall together with setting budgets for 2017/18. A recent survey of the canal bed in front of the revetment walls has not identified any further problems. It appears that the major stabilisation work undertaken in 2014 and 2015 has been successful but regular monitoring will continue. Workplace Insurance for Volunteers: It is disappointing to advise that current Work Place Health and Safety legislation has now made it impractical to achieve the conditions necessary to get insurance coverage for our volunteer workers. Consequently we are unable to provide insurance coverage for volunteers helping to maintain parks, gardens, fountain etc around Noosa Waters as we have done in the past. New Editor: I am pleased to advise that Narelle Hall has agreed to become the new editor of our newsletter. Please give her your fullest support so we can continue to produce a high quality and information packed newsletter that is valued by all residents. If you have any suitable articles, photographs, event reports or ideas please contact with Narelle (editor@noosawaters.org). Long-term Parking of Caravans and Boat Trailers: Several residents have raised the issue of the long term parking of caravans and boat trailers on the road verges or front lawns of properties and on undeveloped blocks around Noosa Waters. The original covenant was very clear in this regard stating only one vehicle shall be allowed to be permanently parked within an allotment excluding garage vehicles. Parking of one boat or caravan is allowed within a screened enclosure not contained in the frontyard. Please respect other residents and seek suitable longer term storage arrangements for offending caravans and boat trailers. A very successful Meet and Greet function was held in March to welcome new residents to Noosa Waters. Thank you to the Sports and Social committee and all their helpers. The NRWA membership year commences from 1st July. I take this opportunity to encourage all residents to become members. This is your Association and it works to preserve and enhance the Noosa Waters lifestyle in the interests of all residents The more members we have, the more effective we will be in achieving this goal! The cost is only $15 (+$5 for Neighbourhood Watch) - Dick Patterson, President NWRA NOOSA Swimming Pool Maintenance & Repairs Equipment & Chemicals Spas, Hot Tubs & Equipment Free Water Quality Testing 2/8 Selkirk Drive, Noosaville Ph Fax ISSUE 75 - WINTER EDITION 2017

3 Noosa Waters Residents Association Waterwatch & Canal Report Christmas Music on the Water Christmas activities got off to a happy start with Carols at Saltwater/ Shorehaven Park on Friday 16 th December. Paul McDonald coordinated the festivities, led by a talented string trio and singers aboard Sandbar. The event was extremely popular with families from near and far onshore and joining in. The on-board ensemble enthralled the audience throughout the evening. bringing in the Christmas spirit with old time favourites including Christmas Carols, popular festive songs and classical music pieces. Keep Friday, December 15th 2017 free for Carols in Noosa Waters - more details and songsheets will be available at: www. noosawaters.org. Christmas Flotilla Friday 23rd December saw another very successful Noosa Waters Christmas Flotilla, led by the Noosa Coastguard in their brightly lit and readily identifiable Christmas decorated vessel. I am delighted to report that, because most boats were operated carefully and safely, the Flotilla was enjoyed by all. Fine weather and a sparkling evening allowed the Christmas lighting to be viewed to advantage. The festive spirit was certainly enhanced by the many homes with Christmas decorations and lighting, together with the reflections in the canal of the decorated boats in the Flotilla as they bobbed along. Many people brought their children to be entranced by the sights, and it is also not surprising that many residents took advantage of the lovely atmosphere to entertain friends. The Flotilla video by Sean & Nikki Cox on the NWRA Facebook page gives a great view of the Flotilla and canals! Lock Operation Over Easter the lock was out of action for some time. On that occasion the wires protecting the lock mechanism were severely damaged and the mechanism had to be reset. Whilst frustrating to those waiting to use the lock, below are a few suggestions to help make the future operation of the lock hassle-free. Please don t try to fit too many boats into the lock even if there is a queue. Overcrowding can lead to boats causing this damage and ultimately further delay those in the queue. Please don t be so anxious to enter the lock that you crowd exiting boats and limit their free passage. Their attempt to avoid you may cause them to go too close to the wire. The lock mechanism allows adequate time for boats to enter the lock after other boats have exited. Be aware that the rise or fall of water within the lock can cause boats to move forward or back with the rush of water and boats need to be firmly secured by boat hook to metal on the sides of the lock. It is advisable not to grab the rubbers on the sides of the canal with your boat hooks as this can tear the protective rubbers from the wall. Finally if the worst happens and the lock mechanism fails it is necessary to phone the number listed on the canal for emergency service to ask the technician to reset the lock mechanism. Please be aware that this technician is a Noosa Council employee, on stand-by for such emergencies. However he also has other duties and the phone may be diverted, so when you phone the number, let it ring for a long time. If not answered, please try again. We can all enjoy boating during the holiday season especially if we realise that our boating should be a pleasurable and relaxing experience and we should plan to allow more time during the times when we can expect the lock to be busy. Happy boating everybody, Warren Burrows, Waterwatch ISSUE 75 - WINTER EDITION

4 Noosa Waters Residents Association Sports & Social Groups Dear Noosa Waters Residents, I would like firstly to start with a big thank you to our three retiring committee members - Judy Patterson, Ian Pilz and David Brown. I acknowledge their many years of commitment and contribution to the successful running of the NWS&SG, including our two big functions per year. Boating Group Noosa Waters Christmas light display Thank you to all participants. for another wonderful and bright display of Christmas Lights. Prizewinners were: Dry Blocks Wet Blocks 1/8 Bluefin Court 9 Riverbreeze Avenue 2/15 Bluefin Court 53 The Peninsula 1/31 Bluefin Court 47 The Peninsula 7 Helm Court 10 Topsails Place Another successful Meet and Greet was held at the Croquet Club in March. About 100 delightful and happy people attended on a glorious early evening, enjoying delicious finger food and good company. Peter Urban won the bottle of Moet & Chandon champagne. Several people enjoyed winning lucky draw prizes of sparkling, white and red wine and chocolates. The later rain failed to dampen spirits as we all converged under the marquee. The friendly, happy and relaxed atmosphere of conversation continued with established residents and welcoming of new residents. We are so lucky to live in such a great community. Thank all of you for attending and making it such an enjoyable occasion. I have pleasure in welcoming to the committee Kerry Boulton- Secretary. Chris Strawson-Treasurer and Bruce Wall - along with Lesley Downie, Barbra Sherrin, Barry Lloyd and myself will be working hard to put on our next fabulous function - the Gala Dinner at RACV Friday 6th October, with the theme of SURFING. Join us for a lovely meal and great music by Escape Hatch. DIARISE and organise your group for an evening of dancing and fun. For information about the S&SG or our next function phone me on Susan Lloyd, Chairperson, NWS&SG Committee Boat owners and their crews enjoyed sensational weather and conditions for both the Noosa Waters Boating picnic held in February and the boating rally/ treasure hunt, in April. Both events were well supported with much camaraderie - along with some competitive spirit as the picnic teams fought to win at cricket and the rally teams for first honours and the treasure! Thanks go to Boating group convenors, Janet & John Day, for organising these much appreciated, fun events and to the Captains for inviting their guests on-board. NWRA members can join the Noosa Waters Sports & Social Boating Group on-line, via the Noosa Waters website, to receive details about any future boating activities. Thursday Girls Lunch Thursday Girls began in 2012 when five Noosa Waters ladies met for lunch on the last Thursday of each month. As more friends joined in, the lunches were used to raise funds for local causes. Five years later, it has expanded to a mailing list of nearly 200 ladies and attend the monthly lunches by invitation. For the last four years, Thursday Girls has run an Educational Support programme which assists families facing financial hardship, who have children going to a state school in the Noosa Shire. Applications come through the schools, are considered by our committee of seven members and, if approved, the payments are administered by the schools. Up to June this year, we have assisted 254 children with grants totalling $45,893. For further information about lunches, contact Neridah Rooseboom on or Di Kirby on ISSUE 75 - WINTER EDITION 2017

5 Changing of the Guard David Carter, our dedicated secretary for 14+ years, has moved to a retirement village with his wife Lyn. A big thank-you for his tireless efforts and we wish David & Lyn a happy retirement. I am however extremely pleased to announce that Alison Reynolds has volunteered to take over the secretarial role with immediate effect. Thank you Alison! Complex Security continues to provide an essential component of our efforts to minimise crime in our estate with their regular patrols. It s worth reiterating that they have two cars dedicated to the Noosa area and can respond promptly even when not in the Noosa Waters estate. Sunshine Coast annual Neighbourhood Watch conference at Maroochydore on 3 June was attended by 50 delegates, including Gerald. The discussions covered a wide range of interesting issues, not all able to be covered in this report. One major item revealed that, regrettably, domestic violence stats are not improving with 1.2 women in Queensland killed per week! Relationships Australia ( offer extensive counselling & mediation support: Did you know Crime Stoppers do not receive any State/Fed funding and rely entirely on volunteers, fundraising & sponsorship? Help if you can. Useful websites worth checking out: latest news & alerts from the ACCC. know your rights and avoid being taken for a ride. tips on safely managing your hard earned money. your kids are more tech savvy than you are. Noosa Waters website has live links to the above on the Neighbourhood Watch page. Incident Reporting To receive incident reports please ensure the Residents Association or Gerald Theron (gtheron@nternode.on.net) has your address which will be added to the distribution list. To report an incident please phone ( ) or Gerald with the details, and an appropriate will be distributed (personal details withheld unless release approved). Calls to their emergency numbers should be confined to real time occurrences. For serious incidents, such as break and enter, the resident is responsible for reporting the matter to Noosa Police. See back page for all contact details. Thank you for continuing to support your Neighbourhood Watch. Gerald Theron NW NHW Co-ordinator Bluefin residents maintained their Neighbourhood Watch tradition of Christmas in the park NWRA 2017 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING ALL WELCOME 7PM - TUESDAY, 19TH SEPTEMBER, 2017 GOOD SHEPHERD LUTHERAN CHAPEL Noosa Waters Residents Association 2017 AGM Tewantin Noosa Garden Club Noosa Waters residents interested in gardening and meeting new people are welcome to come along and visit the garden club. We meet on the second Monday of the month at the Catholic Church Hall in Moorindal Street, Tewantin, arrive at 1.15 for a 1.30 start. Each month there is guest speaker, a trade table where you can buy plants and cuttings supplied by members and a competition table that exhibits members plants in various sections. For more details visit our website: Helen Brown President Tewantin Noosa Garden Club Noosa Waters Natives Other occasional Noosa Waters backyard visitors! Watch your meter box! You never know what you will find in Noosa Waters! 5 ISSUE 75 - WINTER EDITION 2017

6 Noosa Waters Residents Association Out and About Noosa Ultimate Sports Festival, May 2017 Noosa Waters underwent a friendly takeover early in the morning of May 28th when 950 runners came through as part of the Sports Festival ( Enjoying superb weather, the participants had already completed 11 km of their mission and still had another 9 km to go, but were still cheerful and enthusiastic, as were the volunteer teams who supported them with water and encouragement. Friendly road marshals assisted local traffic and within moments of the last runners passing through, any litter and signs that anything had occurred, were cleared away. A credit to all concerned. Noosa Waters Cyclists in the Sports Festival Noosa Waters residents, David Peel, Paul McDonald and Tony Jamieson successfully completed the gruelling 100 km cycling challenge part of the Sports Festival, riding from Tewantin to Cooran then back via Traveston, Tuchekoi and Cooroy in their own record times around the 4hr mark and averaging over 25km per hour! 250 riders participated. Runners from the Ultimate Sports Festival in Noosa Waters Noosa Outrigger Canoe Club (NOCC) It s been an exciting year for Noosa Water Residents who enjoy the sport of outrigger canoeing as members of the Noosa Outrigger Canoe Club (NOCC). From the Noosa River Race in October, the Sydney Harbour Challenge in February and through the South Queensland Zone OC6 racing season from January - May 2017, there was one team of predominantly Noosa Waters residents that ultimately took out the series win in the Senior Master Mixed division. Mary Ann Chaffey, Lysette Van Dooren, Maurice Farrell and Mike Maloney were regular members of this team, which also competed in the National Titles at the end of the Season. There are currently around 14 Noosa Waters Residents who are NOCC members, in either the regatta, intermediates or recreational groups. You may have met some of them at the Springtime Gala last year they do enjoy a social event! One of the oldest NOCC members is from Noosa Waters, and as a recent starter aged a young 82, it goes to show that age is no barrier! If you would like to come and try, please contact Noosa Waters resident and NOCC Secretary Glen Knoblauch on Jo Searle Local Resident/Volunteer Judy Gerrard I was looking forward to the Noosa Ultimate Sports Festival which took the runners past our house when the Volunteer Coordinator knocked on our door wondering if we would like to volunteer. It gave us an opportunity to help out and encourage the runners on their way. The camaraderie amongst the runners - confident, struggling, serious, enthusiastic, some dressed up - was lovely to see and brought just another facet of the great life that is Noosa Waters. Lysette Van-Dooren and Maurice Farrell all smiles after winning their division in the Noosa River Race. Photo courtesy Lesley Downie Photography ISSUE 75 - WINTER EDITION

7 Noosa Waters Residents Association Out and About Blokes Lunch Since the last report, we have patronised Noosa Surf Club, Noosa Tewantin Bowls Club, Thai Square, The Reef Hotel, The Noosa Yacht and Rowing Club and in June Trios. Attendance is consistent at 40-50, and the lunch provides a friendly and welcoming environment for all who attend, and especially for new blokes. The conversation flows and many problems of the world are canvassed. Men attending enjoy wonderful meals offered by local restaurants, usually with two course offerings for $ The July lunch is a special Christmas in July, hosted by Larry, the former owner and chef of Rosie s, to be held at the Doonan Café. Details will be ed early July to those on the distribution list. Contact David Brown to join BLOKE S LUNCH Last Friday each month (various restaurants) All Welcome Contact David Brown Cyclone Debbie Unlike our neighbours to the north and south of us, the Sunshine Coast and Noosa areas were very fortunate to receive very little damage from Cyclone Debbie. The state government and local council were very cautious in preparing its citizens to take all care and stay indoors. Schools and various facilities were closed. When the height of the wind hit it was quite intense for nearly an hour, What was significantly different about this weather system was its size, affecting the Queensland Coast from the Whitsundays down to the Northern NSW. The slow moving pace of Debbie meant people s suffering in the Whitsundays was prolonged and areas south of us were hit with destructive floods. Some areas of Noosa lost power and some very large trees were uprooted along Gympie Terrace and Noosa Parade. Noosa Waters lost a magnificent tree in the park on the corner of Salt Water and Shorehaven Dve (see photo). The Noosa Council is to be applauded for its efficient clean up and for providing free access to the tip to dump green waste. In less than a week we were back to normal. It is well worth visiting the Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology website s Preparation and Safety Procedures to fully acquaint yourself with advice about how to prepare and survive wild weather events. Helen Brown The magnificent tree destroyed by Cyclone Debbie - a favourite site from which residents and visitors watched the Christmas Music events Coffee Table Book to record the history of Noosa Waters Well progress is slow, a busy life, with family and friends a delightful constant interruption; not to mention writer s block! So in keeping with the philosophy of How do you eat an elephant? (One bite at a time), here are some musings to start the project. Initial Stages In the 1970s TM Burke Pty Ltd started plans to subdivide hectares into approximately 1200 lots with the expected sale dates to start in In Dec 1976 the cash price to purchase the first 40 acres for development was $ per acre. The land purchased was thickly treed swamp land, not at all popular with the locals, who couldn t believe anyone would want to live in this mosquito ridden area. Locals shared stories of kids riding though the swamp and being covered in thick sticky grey mud. Original sale prices, that I have sighted, started at $9,500 for dry blocks and $10,500 for wet blocks, with developmental costs, prices escalated to $12,000 for dry blocks and $16,000 for wet blocks. Initially the company was unsure whether the wet blocks would be on canals or freshwater lakes. In the first release there were 525 blocks for sale (132 dry and 404 wet) starting in the River Breeze/ Shorehaven Drive area near the fountain where the first display homes were situated. Please feel free to send more information to me to include in the Initial Stages section, suggest changes if my musings are incorrect. My next task is to source photos and anecdotes that explore early developmental issues. I will progress slowly, incorporating input from early residents and local real estate agents. At a later stage when I have more to share, there will be invitations to reflect and refine the book in progress. Helen Brown (brown.helen.1991@gmail.com) ISSUE 75 - WINTER EDITION

8 Noosa River Sunset From the Editor Thank you to our previous editor, Helen Brown, and her assistants for their huge efforts with past newsletters. All have continued on, and been extremely helpful for me with this first edition. If you have any story or photos for the December issue, please send them to me (by 30 November). Thank you, Narelle Emergency Numbers Police Noosa Noosa Waters Neighbourhood Watch Life Threatening 000 Police Link Co-ordinator - Gerald Theron Non-emergency Police M dore [24 hr] gtheron@internode.on.net Complex Security Hoon Line Useful Phone Numbers Complex Security Vehicle Patrol (preface calls with Noosa Waters ) SES Coastguard - Emergency Coastguard - General Noosa Council RSPCA Wilvos Wildlife Rescue TO JOIN Noosa Waters Residents Association: Just $15 p.a. + $5 to join Neighbourhood Watch Pay online: or send cheque with your name and address to: NWRA, PO Box 197, Noosaville NWRA Member Fees Now Due! Photos: David & Helen Brown, Janet & John Day, Lesley Downie Photography, Mike Pallot, Kay Passenger & Narelle Hall Events Calendar Please see website for full details NWRA AGM Gala Dinner Tuesday 7th September - 7pm Good Shepherd Lutheran Chapel Friday, 6th October - 6:30pm for 7pm RACV - Surfing Theme. Band: Escape Hatch Canal-side Christmas Music Friday 15th December - 7pm for 7.15pm Christmas Lights Judging Christmas Flotilla Thursday Girls Lunches Blokes Lunches Monday 18th & Tuesday 19th December Friday 22nd December pm for 7pm Last Thursday Feb-Nov. RSVP essential Bookings: Neridah Rooseboom Last Friday of every month. RSVP essential Bookings: David Brown NWRA Management Committee President Dick Patterson president@noosawaters.org Vice President Ron Koyich vicepresident@noosawaters.org Secretary Kay Passenger secretary@noosawaters.org Treasurer Tony Van Der Linden treasurer@noosawaters.org Landscaping Ian Dopper landscaping@noosawaters.org Waterwatch Warren Burrows waterwatch@noosawaters.org Committee Gary Trevithick Sports & Social Group Chair Sue Lloyd chair@ssg.noosawaters.org Secretary Kerry Boulton secretary@ssg.noosawaters.org Treasurer Chris Strawson treasurer@ssg.noosawaters.org Other Contacts Advertising Howard Martin admin@noosawaters.org Membership Cathie Martin membership@noosawaters.org Newsletter Narelle Hall editor@noosawaters.org Webmaster Howard Martin webmaster@noosawaters.org Lost & Found John & Janet Day (Canal Items Only) Disclaimer Noosa Waters Residents Association (Inc.) PO Box 197 Noosaville 4566 The information contained in this publication has been obtained from sources deemed to be reliable, but its accuracy cannot be guaranteed. No responsibility for error or omission, can be accepted. Interested persons should rely on their own enquiries.