An idyllic life adventure

Following her husband’s life dream gave Judi Coey her greatest sailing adventure - so far anyway!

The ride isn’t over as Judi looks to the future and sees maybe another boating escapade in her retirement.

“When I was younger I would have never thought I would end up living on a boat let alone doing it with young children. It was a case of following Ken’s dream and he was so happy. I genuinely loved it too and have no regrets.

by JACQUI HENSEL

“We were living and working in the coal mining towns of Moranbah, Dysart and Middlemount west of Mackay and living north of Mackay on weekends. Our kids Grey and Luci were in primary school and my husband Ken decided he wanted to build a boat. Which he did, even though he had never built anything other than a cutting board in his life.

“Four thousand hours later we both then decided we needed to give living on the boat a try. Then our backyard became the Whitsundays,” says Judi.

Need legal advice about retirement living?

“The kids were doing distance education through Charters Towers before the internet made it so much easier, while I worked for a corporate optometrist and was able to locum up and down the East Coast of Queensland. We stayed in marinas in major towns where I worked. I had the best of both worlds: working in my field and keeping my family close,” Judi explains.

“Then I started feeling queasy with the lessons and I realised it wasn’t sea sickness but pregnancy! Our third child Amelia was on her way. We named her Milli for short,” Judi says with a smile.

“I wasn’t really that much of an adventurer. I studied in Brisbane at QUT and then I had a job up in Mackay which is where I met Ken. He was an optician too, until he sold his practices to build the boat. It is very much in his blood. He is a water person and loves his boats,” she says.

“It’s a really healthy lifestyle and the kids got to meet other kids from other boat families. There was one time when we were up at Lizard Island and there were so many kids that we made our own school with classes.

“Each family had a different age group on their boat. School would be quite early in the morning before it got too hot and then they would play on the beach, building aquariums with the crabs and the little fish,”

“I found it required a lot of economising on budget and space involving the weekly or fortnightly grocery shopping. We needed enough to get by but were limited with space and weight.

“We also gave a great deal of thought to managing our refuse as there is no council garbage service on a boat. We recycled a lot of things, but we were very thoughtful about what we purchased in the first place, especially around packaging.

“We didn’t want our waste going into the Great Barrier Reef.”

Judi used cloth nappies. “I used to wash them by hand, because what do you do with a dirty disposable nappy on a boat? There is no way to dispose of it. So the nappies used to hang out to dry on the boat,” she recalls.

“We also composted our food waste on the boat and those practices have stayed with me.”

The Whitsundays and Tropical North Coast are renowned for big storms and Judi and her family went through a few strong wind warnings and two cyclones. “They are so vivid. I remember feeling like you are right in the middle of it,” she recalls.

“We would hide the boat in the mangroves and tie it up in there. There were also lee sides of islands to sit out storms. It was a bit mozzie infested in the mangroves while waiting for a storm to build. That humid air just hangs on you. But the kids were fine. We would play cards and games to keep them occupied.

“The kids loved living on the boat. Grey, Luci and Milli are all grown up now and I am a grandma, but they often talk about things that happened during that time. They have really fond memories.”

When the kids reached eight and nine years old , Judi and Ken started looking for somewhere for them to go to school, make friends and play sports.

“The youngest one was getting a bit too mobile for the boat by this point! So we found ourselves looking around the Sunshine Coast Hinterland for a suitable place to have a little farm,” reminisces Judi.

“When we first moved into the rental house we had in Montville, I recall us standing in the kitchen and realising we had just spent the last three years living in a space the size of the kitchen. We knew that the bigger the kids got, the smaller our space felt,” Judi says with a laugh.

“We knew we wanted to raise our kids in a country town, especially as the teenage years loomed. They all worked at the local IGA supermarket and went to high school here.”

Judi is well known for her optometry business in Bunya Street opposite the Maleny State Primary School.

“My father and brother were both in the medical field, while my mother was a teacher. I knew I wanted to do something that would help other people.

“At the time I went to QUT there were only 25 graduates each year. So, there were a lot of good job opportunities in the field. Thirty-five years later and I still love it. We problem solve; help with health management and I have even found tumours - fortunately rarely” she explains.

Judi thinks that as optometry is now a five-year degree, anyone thinking about a career in a medical field should give it some consideration as there is so much opportunity to help people in their daily lives and make a difference in the community, as well as being a part of a

As for Ken, he is currently building a project at their property. “I think when he is finished, he might like to renovate another boat rather than build one from scratch. Which might mean I could go back to living on a boat when I retire,” Judi says with a twinkle in her eye.

With such fond memories of the Whitsundays, who could blame her for wanting to revisit that idyl.

by ANGELA REEDMAN -POLINSKI

SwimSafe QLD

0448 793 148 swimsafeqld.com.au

Notice of Precipe

Carl John Hill© of Maleny, Queensland, is not a voluntary transactor in commerce, and is the irrefutable Holder in Due Course of my property and all associated copyright protected Trade Names since unrebutted lawful Reconveyance to the Land and Soil jurisdiction of Terra Australis, Public Recording Number RPP4463900051002336158606, Proclamation Date February 21st of 2023. Thus severing usufruct subjugation ties with the occupying corporate government of Australia in its entirety. Immediately cease and desist any further infringement upon these copyright protected financial instruments and cease and desist misaddressing Carl John Hill© in fraudulent debased Dog-Latin, GLOSSA

Lene Lund Knudsen is known amongst her squad teammates as an inspiring and strong team player who always has a positive word to share to encourage fellow swimmers. In the last two years she has been breaking Masters’ Swimming records and competing internationally. So, how did Lene reach this point?

“I grew up in Denmark and started swimming lessons at age five, after watching my brother Lars in his lessons for years,” shared Lene.

“I swam regularly as part of a local swim club in my primary and senior school years, and my first national competition was at 16, in the 50m, 100m freestyle and 100m butterfly events.

“I loved backstroke, freestyle and butterfly. Butterfly has a nice rhythm to it as a swimming stroke, which I enjoy.”

Lene came over in 2010 to live in Australia after being on holiday before in Australia.

“After moving here, I became more involved in local long-distance ocean swims and swimming laps.”

From 2010 to 2011, Lene studied a Masters at USC on climate change adaptation. This involved environmental management studies, including analysing extreme weather impacts and how the agricultural industry can prepare for these in future.

“I started long-distance running in 2012 with a colleague, and then I became involved in triathlon in 2014.

“However, I had to skip triathlons later after knee injury surgery in 2017 and I started focusing on swimming again. First ocean swims, and then I returned to pool racing in shorter distances.”

Lene found the land and pool rehabilitation useful for her knee surgery recovery.

“While it wasn’t major surgery, keeping it flexible and building back strength in the area was important for the long term.”

In June 2021, Lene signed up with fellow local swimmer Kylie Cornock for their first Masters Swimming meet, and after that event, the pair decided to officially start a local club.

“It took a few months of planning and paperwork, but we elected a president, a secretary and a treasurer and together we got the new Beerwah Masters Swim

Signs

Shivering, trembling, cuddling int

Ÿ Pocket pets –shivering, hiding, burro

Ÿ Sore and stiff joints

Ÿ Flaky dr y skin

Ways to help keep warm

Ÿ Keep your pet inside if possible

Ÿ Provide a warm, soft, elevated bed

Ÿ Warm coats are great for pets that are senior coats

Ÿ Move your guinea pig hutch inside the house or garage

Ÿ Provide extra straw and hay so small pets can burrow and hide

Ÿ Keep all bedding dr y

Ÿ Wrap a loose blanket over your pet, but do not tuck them in They still need to be able to move away from it if they get too hot

Ÿ Hot water bottles under blankets

Ÿ Walk your furr y friend during the day when it is not as cold

Lene Lund Knudsen with her Sunshine Coast Sports Award Club up and running,” said Lene with a big smile.

“The club membership grew as local swimmers started signing on to join. Swimmers know it is an individual sport we love, but it's so nice to be part of a team.”

This year, Lene has registered to compete in the World Aquatic Masters championships in Japan from August 5-11. The event will be held across the island of Kyushu, Japan, in Fukuoka, Kumamoto and Kagoshima.

The event welcomes approximately 10,000 athletes from over 100 countries to compete in various swimming, diving and water polo events.

“It’s such a great opportunity, I thought, why not give it a go! I will compete in the butterfly 50m, 100m, and 200m events and the freestyle 50m and 100m events.”

The competition aims to provide an attractive environment where participants can enjoy the races and their stay in the Japanese cities through various fun events and get-togethers.

“I would like to do some sightseeing after the competition as I haven't been to Japan before. I'm looking forward to tasting the food, learning about the Japanese culture and meeting new people,” said Lene.

“One of my next big challenges is learning Japanese phrases before the race period; so for that I will try out a few apps on my phone!”

Lene holds several Queensland state records and one national record in her Masters’ age category, and in March 22, she won the Sunshine Coast Sports Masters Athlete of the Year.

“I love that Sunshine Coast Sports has a Masters category. I was excited to win this award because my teammates had nominated me, which meant so much to me.

“My favourite part of swimming is being part of the team. It's a nice bonus to set records in the water, but it mostly inspires me to swim together and see what we can all do.”

I asked Lene if she would consider professionally coaching in the future, to continue sharing her hard- earned knowledge and passing on new skills as a coaching mentor.

“I taught children’s swimming lessons in Denmark when I was younger, but I would rather be in the water swimming than standing on the pool deck,”

“My advice for emerging swimmers is to get professional lessons if needed. It's much better to get help with your stroke initially and learn techniques properly to continue improving your skills and enjoy your swimming long term.

“If you are a regular swimmer looking for a group to swim with, look at your local squads. I regret that I didn't start swimming in a local group earlier because it's so much fun and a great way to build up a network of

Lene said her future goal is to continue to compete

“I see other swimmers doing it now! The Masters’ programs are so welcoming and friendly; I encourage people to get involved and don’t be afraid to come to the Visit Beerwah Masters Swim Team on Facebook for more details.

IS YOUR PROPERTY NBN RE ADY?

If you're planning to sell your property on the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, it's important to ensure that your property is NBN ready The NBN, or Na�onal Broadband Network, is Australia's high-speed internet network, a n d h a v i n g i t c o n n e c t e d t o y o u r p r o p e r t y c a n significantly increase its appeal to poten�al buyers. Here are some steps you can take to get your property NBN ready:

. Check NBN a ailabilit in o r area: The first step is to check hat t pe of NBN is a ailable at o r propert Yo can check this b calling o r c rrent internet ser ice pro ider (ISP) or b checking online ia the NBN Co ebsite - .nbnco.com.a . Yo ill be able to see if o can connect to the NBN and hich technolog ill be sed at o r address. If o 're in a regional or remote area, o ma ha e to ha e a fi ed ireless or satellite connec on.

. Choose an NBN plan: Once o kno hat t pe of NBN is a ailable in o r area, o need to choose an NBN plan that s its o r needs There are man different plans and pro iders to choose from, so it's important to do o r research and compare prices and feat res.

. Get o r propert NBN read : To get o r propert NBN read , o ill need to install an NBN connec on bo and ro ter These can be installed b an NBN technician or o r internet ser ice pro ider Yo ma also need to pgrade o r internal iring and modem if the are not compa ble ith the NBN.

. Promote NBN connec it in o r propert lis ng: Once o r propert is NBN read , make s re to promote this feat re in o r propert lis ng. This can help a ract poten al b ers ho al e fast and reliable internet connec it

In conclusion, whether your poten�al buyer works from home, is a gamer, techie, online shopper or Ne�li� enthusiast having your property NBN ready will have great appeal, especially in today's increasingly digital world.

For complimentary appraisals and advice for buyers, please contact our office on 5478 5288, we are OPEN 7 days.

ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT 1000%

I ha e e perienced e cellent professional ad ice and enco ragement thro gho t the sale of m home. Monica has been a compassionate and ise ad isor ith a en on to detail and p to d a te m a r ket k n o l e d g e T h a n k o M o n i ca , R o g e r a n d t e a m f o r a e r s c c e s s f l s a l e e perience.

Re ie s bmi ed b R Gra (Vendor) - Mar