Connect Magazine

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Inspire is a not for profit community initiative passionate about connecting individuals, families, organisations and services on the Sunshine Coast and building a stronger community.

Inspire aims to connect you with what is available and what is happening on the Coast by promoting various seminars, workshops and events all supporting you to be connected with your community. Do you know a community focussed individual or club worth writing about? Nominate a story online at www.inspireconnect.com.au

Connect Magazine produced by:

This magazine is proudly supported by our foundation partners:

Front cover image by Anna Gilbert Photography.

Many thanks to Lea and Scott Montague of Old Skool Kombis Noosa.

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Looking for a worthy charitable event to support, the owners of four Sunshine Coast McDonald’s franchisees could easily have hosted a grand ball or annual golf day to provide much-needed funds and awareness for the restaurant’s major beneficiary Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC).

But the businessmen were not looking for exclusivity; they sought to sink their support into something at the other end of the spectrum, an event that would benefit not only RMHC but the broader Sunshine Coast community.

“The ethos of the (McDonald’s) business for the past 50 years has been to give back to the community in which you do business,” McDonald’s franchisee Gary Binet said. The Sunshine Coast McDonald’s franchisees Greg Biggs, Randy Burningham, Tim Banks and Mr Binet were determined to add an event, which set a new benchmark for fundraising on the Coast, forming a nucleus to an already impressively long list of charitable events.

The event they felt ticked those boxes plus many more was a fun run. And not just a one off event, but a long-term community occasion offering participants several distances, inclusive of elites and amateurs alike, and a non-prohibitive barrier to entry with prices starting from as little as $20.

“We believed with mass participation you could create something that would have a long term positive impact on the community,” the franchisees said.

A passion for running and a trip to the US to participate in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in 2012 was all it took to plant the seed of the 7 Sunshine Coast Marathon & Community Run Festival and within a couple of months planning was underway.

McDonald’s involvement helped secure other major sponsors, such as Channel 7 along with Westpac, which also saw the numerous benefits associated with a large scale run. Attracting thousands of runners to the start line along with generating funds that would flow back to RMHC and numerous local Sunshine Coast community groups were the organiser’s major priorities. It was also

to be a vehicle that would showcase the Sunshine Coast’s natural beauty and community atmosphere.

Like any new venture, there were some concerns that others may not be as excited or supportive of their efforts. “We did worry that if we only attracted 500 runners to the start line we’d be dipping our hands back in our pockets to achieve the desired outcome but we were pleasantly surprised with the community’s reception,” the franchisees said.

In its first year the 7 Sunshine Coast Marathon & Community Run Festival attracted 5000 runners, including visitors from across Australia and nine different countries. More than $150,000 in funds were shared among the RMHC and local community groups while the Sunshine Coast Regional Council estimated the event provided a $4.5 million boost to the local economy.

In its second year the event attracted 6000 runners and more than $200,000 in funds for beneficiaries. The long-term goal of establishing a “must-do” event remains and it’s with much planning and strategy that the not-for-profit organisational team behind the event has taken a deliberate and steady approach to growth.

Atlas Multisports managing director and event organiser Jason Crowther said despite the early success of the event there was a very serious side to running the not-for-profit event to ensure objectives were met and key stakeholders satisfied.

“Being able to show that funds go to charity makes it easier but it’s not an easy sell, our job is to show businesses that it’s a cause worth supporting,” Mr Crowther said.

In five years the organisers estimate the event will bring 12,500 runners to the start line and be able to generate $500,000 in funds for the RMHC and other local charitable and community groups.

“That’s why we want the community to have a sense of ownership about the event so they see this as their big opportunity each year to give back to the charity of their choice while providing extra motivation to get involved and achieve something special.”

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Sixty-two years is a long time to remember a first date; all those butterflies and swooning, uncomfortable conversations and the all-too-nervous first kiss, it’s enough to put anyone off a good memory. For Joan Morrison it was 1952 when she first laid eyes on the love of her life, John, and her feelings have never wavered.

“We met at Jazzland, which was the local dance hall at Cotton Tree – the only one on the Coast and people would come from everywhere to go,” Joan recalls. “They had a band that would come up from Brisbane every weekend and the place would be packed.”

“I would go there often and this one night I saw Jo (John), who was a lifesaver, and of course all the lifesavers went there for the dancers and that’s where we met, it just became a gradual thing after that.”

Joan was 15 and Jo was 21, but age was no barrier for these lovebirds and the next year, in 1952 they were married at St Andrews Church in Nambour; the same place as Joan’s mother and father. It was also the same year as the Queen’s coronation.

“It was a small wedding of family and friends. I can still remember it, vividly,” Joan says, smiling as she holds the black and white photo of her and Jo on their wedding day.

Joan is a fourth generation Sunshine Coaster, growing up in Cotton Tree. Jo moved from Bundaberg to Nambour in 1940 with his siblings and mother, who worked as a school teacher, while his father went to war. “Back then Cotton Tree was an idyllic spot.

The swimming pool was just a natural hole where the pool is now and the boats used to come in for day trips to go up the river. If we had high tides and extreme weather it would all flood right up to the cotton tree (the big cotton tree has been there forever; it’s opposite the now Coffee Club).”

In their first few years of marriage, Joan and Jo lived in Parker Street, off Aerodrome Road. It was an all-dirt road and the only way the couple could get to Cotton Tree was to paddle through a swamp at Fifth Avenue. “My mother lived on Fifth Avenue and we would leave a boat there and paddle across the swamp, which was the backwash from the river.”

Together, they owned and operated The Arcade, a snack bar underneath Jazzland. In summer, the couple would work around the clock to keep up with the tourist demand and hungry mouths of the dancers, who were in need of a quick snack in between the dances. “We would be there all day and then again at midnight.

There would be a dance early on the evening and then one would start at midnight, which they called the midnight dances, so we would open up again and be there until five in the morning.”

Sadly, with the loss of winter sales, the business went broke and the couple had to quickly find work elsewhere. “You couldn’t imagine it now, but in Maroochydore, you could fire a gun and nobody would hear anything. On the corner there was only a grocery store, the jazz store, a fishing store and a garage. We would sit there all day in winter and not even sell a milkshake, but in summer we would sell out of hamburgers, milkshakes and chocolate.”

Times were tough for the Morrisons, as Jo, a baker by trade, had to give up his beloved snack bar to work cutting cane, while the couple moved into a tent on Parker Street for Christmas. “To get to work each day Jo used to ride a bike from Cotton Tree to Bradman Avenue, row a boat across the river, cut cane from daylight to dark, then ride a bike back and row a boat back to Cotton Tree. He did that every cane season, and then he would work as a baker in the Christmas season.”

Things started to look up for Jo and Joan when the owner of a block of holiday units asked them to care for the rooms, giving them free rent in one of the smaller houses in return. “While I was there I worked for 12 months for a friend who run the TAB, which opened in 1962 and was the only TAB from Nambour to Caloundra,” Joan remembers.

A year later Joan took over the TAB as primary agent, working three days a week, caretaking the holiday units, as well as looking after their three young children; Robert, Michael and Debra. “It was a busy time, but that’s what you had to do to get by back then.

There weren’t races every day, only on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, but later on it became every day,” Joan says.

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“I was on commission, so the more work I got done, the more money I made, but I ended up with about 10 women in the end just to keep up with demand.” Joan was the agent for the TAB for 14 years, until in 1976 when she gave the business away following the tragic death of their son Michael, who was killed in a car accident at the age of 20. “It was a hard time for the entire family and I had a bit of a break down and thought I would never survive without work. We had just built a new house out at School Road and were paying that off. But when Michael died nothing mattered, money didn’t mean anything.”

The couple had been given a parcel of land at School Road, Maroochydore for 100 pounds as a trade for their snack bar in 1963. They had borrowed 300 pounds from the housing commision to build their first house on four pound per week repayments. “I was so worried we wouldn’t make repayments, but things were falling into place with Jo at work, he was working as a brick layer at the time, so we survived and managed to repay the house in 10 years.”

In 1981, at age 50, Jo retired and the couple purchased acreage at Parsons Road, Forest Glen. Here, Jo tended to two orchid houses, and sold the flowers at the Eumundi market. They also became grandparents to Craig and twins Kate and Melissa.

As retirement continued, Jo and Joan started to jet set around the world, visiting Canada and Scotland several times over the years.

Joan has even travelled the world twice, the last time in 2012 with her daughter Debra. “Jo and I had both been through a few health hurdles and I thought this might be my last chance to really get around the world, so I said to Deb, ‘Let’s do it’. She booked it all within a month and away we went,” Joan says.

“We went from Brisbane to Singapore, to London and Edinburgh, then to Glasgow and Paris, over to Toronto, where we got on a train for four days across Canada to Vancouver and to Las Vegas.

We have done everything and we have thoroughly enjoyed it.”

Nowadays, the couple have made their home at Maroochydore, surrounded by photographs of family and memories. In a cabinet is a letter from the former Governor General Quentin Bryce and the Queen in congratulations of their 60th wedding anniversary, which they celebrated among friends and family at Ebb Restaurant on September 5, 2013.

Joan says there is no secret to a happy and long lasting marriage, it is just give and take and to never walk out on a fight.

“We have had some tough times, with the death of our son and a few other things, but we made it through, we have stuck together,” she says.

“You can’t ask for much more out of a life partner. We have many happy memories and it’s always nice to look back.”

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Free! taKe Me hoMe

sunshine coast

The magazine that connects people

events // activities // groups // clubs // everyday heroes

When someone talks about their dream job, they are usually referring to some mystical life, surrounded by dollar bills and sports cars, a big house and a private chef. These made-up jobs don’t really exist, do they?

Mark Planck believes they do, and that he has found the key to workplace happiness, which ultimately led to his dream job as owner of Swan Boat Hire at Maroochydore. Mark spends his days fishing, laughing and being jolly, all the while working alongside his family, friends and beloved dogs – it’s unheard of I know, but it’s also why the iconic Maroochydore business has stood the test of time for the past 50 years.

Swan Boat Hire began in the late 60s and was the go-to service for fisherman across the Sunshine Coast for more than 30 years before Mark, an ex-forest ranger on the Sunshine Coast, took to the helm.

“When I came here it was just a very small business with five boats, which were all made from very heavy fiberglass. It took four of us to pull them up and chain them to the bank, then we had to take the motors off and lug them to the shop – it was all very different back then,” Mark remembers.

Before taking over the business, Mark worked for 24 years throughout Queensland as a forest and national parks ranger. His three children were raised on Fraser Island, where he says they used to spend a lot of time outdoors, fishing and boating.

After almost 20 years Mark was promoted to the state recreational responsibilities manager in Brisbane, although he knew the concrete jungle was not to his liking. “I had enough of working in the city and this idyllic job here came up, being in charge of your own actions and a nice little business on the beautiful Maroochy River,” Mark says.

“I had a couple of lots of long service and holidays up my sleeve, so I cashed it all in to buy the business. It was a tough game at

first, with two to three other boat hire business in the one area, which all went out of business together in the same year, but we were lucky enough to stick around.”

For years Mark and his recruits (mostly his three children) worked to build-up the business, putting in seven days a week and some 10 hour days. “We have had some rough years with the weather, the rain and storms, it is a hard on business but we managed through it,” he says.

“After a while we started to grow and we bought some barbecue pontoon boats, because demand was there when people wanted to go in bigger groups and go up the river, have their party or barbecue.” What started off as one barbecue pontoon boat quickly turned into six, and the fleet of fishing vessels also expanded to now include tinnies, canoes and kayaks.

Mark says the business has remained strong because of people’s fascination and love of the Maroochy River. “It’s a beautiful river, the mighty Maroochy River. It is just a wonderful environment to live, work and play,” he says. “From our shop, you look out all day, it’s a beautiful place. If you are able to get up the river there are some lovely areas to visit, wetlands and reserves. There is good fishing right through. “It’s a wonderful recreational resource right in the middle of the Sunshine Coast, so we are pretty lucky to have this place where we can swim, fish, canoe and kayak. We have great customers, they are happy customers, they are here to enjoy and have fun.”

Mark says Swan Boat Hire has stood the test of time because of the enjoyment the business provides to the general public.“We provide a service that both the locals and tourists want and it’s good, healthy fun to get out to the great outdoors, be with friends and family, go fishing, without costing you an arm and a leg. It’s affordable, family fun.”

Three of the region’s biggest events are coming up and you can register now. Each of these brings a significant boost to the Sunshine Coast economy and provides weekends full of fun. is loads of fun for people of all ages – I went with my two girls last year and they absolutely loved it! Think thousands of people dressed in white, running through colourful powder. What could be more fun!

Visit www.thecolorrun.com.au for dates and details.

If you’re looking for something more is for you. It’s challenging, a 20km obstacle course event, on 16 and 17 August. The earlier you book, the cheaper your ticket will be, so get in now! www.toughmudder.com.au

The is one of Australia’s most loved running festivals – it’s on 31 August and is set to be bigger and better than ever.

More than 8000 runners are expected to take part in one of the five events (there’s something for everyone) and 100 per cent of profits go to groups such as Ronald McDonald House and The Westpac Foundation. www.sunshinecoastmarathon.com.au Keep an eye out for exciting new events too – I should have some big announcements soon. For all sorts of other events throughout the year, make sure you visit the ‘Sunshine Coast Events’ Facebook page, and feel free to post your events for the community to see. www.facebook.com/groups/SunshineCoastEvents

Maroochydore

Currimundi

1978

1994

Sunshine Plaza

Noosaville 1995

1994 Nambour

Mooloolaba

1997

1996 Minyama

Kuluin

Caloundra

Coolum

1996

1987

1998

2009

Kawana Shoppingworld 1997

Since 1978 Sunshine Coast residents and local franchisees Tim Banks, Randy Birmingham, Greg Biggs and Gary Binet.

Early in 2008, in her first days of year one, Jessie came to breakfast and said to her mum Kellie, “My wee had a little bit of blood in it”. Twenty-four hours later Jessie had been diagnosed with a stage four Wilm’s tumour, or nephroblastoma – a tumour of the kidneys that typically occurs in children.

By the time it was caught, Jessie’s cancer had already spread to her lungs. The brave little girl got her first taste of chemotherapy on her sixth birthday. After battling chemo, radiotherapy, blood transfusions and transplants for more than 10 months, Jessie’s doctors made the heartbreaking decision to stop treatment, offering Jessie quality of life over quantity.

Jessie was one of four bright cheeky kids and playing in the park with her siblings, Bow, Courtney, and Leila was her favourite thing in the world. In her dying days little Jessie had just one request: she told her mum Kellie she wanted a party in a park where kids could come to play with her for an afternoon.

Jessie and I talked about it via email and eventually came to the decision it should be something for all sick kids and their families. Jessie wrote back saying. “Wow. Yippy!”

Mark and I got on the radio and asked for community help to stage the day. Before we knew it we had truckloads of cakes, lollies, sausages and bread. We had a boat for kids to joy ride in, a jumping castle, pass the parcel, Sparkles the Clown and even a bunch of Harley riders willing to let kids climb over their bikes.

We had police officers, fire officers and paramedics promising to be there in uniform, face painters, acrobats and even free ice creams.

It was a beautiful day and Jessie was the star of the show.

Just two months later, on a quiet Tuesday morning in Nambour, Jessie passed away. Six years later Jessie’s Party is going strong, still with all the same volunteers, the same generous benefactors and the same kids coming to honour a little girl who just loved to play outside with her friends.

Jessie’s Party is only possible because of the incredible generosity of local businesses. This year it will be held to kick off Mix FM’s Give Me Five for Kids on Sunday June 1 at Fraser Park, Golden Beach.

We are always looking for more donated items, so if you’ve got something to contribute we would love to hear from you, just call Shelly Currell on 5443 8444. Otherwise, put it in your diary and we’ll see you at Fraser Park!

connect magazine: What inspires you to perform at markets and community events? paul: There is something unique about playing at the markets and community events. You have moments when performing where everything is perfect, the smell of fresh coffee, food and the weather is amazing. You get to meet some amazing people. I also like to have fun with the crowd by playing African and Indian beats and kids often jump up and join in. connect magazine: How do you use music to connect and communicate? paul: I use the music to interact with other artists and music lovers.

I like to chat to the audience about some of the songs I have written and the meaning behind them. connect magazine: What do you hope to inspire in your listeners and fans? paul: My passion is to see others develop their art and help to mentor those I can. I also like to encourage artists to enjoy the present moment and not get caught up in the illusion of ‘some day I’ll make it’ in the music industry. I have had many opportunities with my music and there comes a time where it becomes more about seeing others succeed. connect magazine: Is there any other charity work or community events you undertake? paul: I often play for local and charity events, including Destiny Rescue and overseas missionary groups. I also play at The Art Gallery located at the University of the Sunshine Coast. connect magazine: Which markets can we find you at? paul: You can see me and the best of local, original artists at Kawana Farmers Market every Saturday, (www.facebook.com/ kawanawatersfarmersmarket), and Noosa Farmers Market on Sundays, which was recently voted best markets by Trip Advisor as voted by travellers around the world, (www.facebook.com/ noosafarmersmarket). There is another Brisbane based farmers market due to start on 30 March located on the corner of Creek and Wynnum Street, Cannon Hill.

We post who’s playing each week on Facebook. www.facebook.com/CamilleriMusic

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With similar values and a desire to promote a deeper sense of personal connection and community spirit, we joined forces on a creative collaboration in portraiture. And it is the vitality of our chance encounter at a charity event that has led to the creation of Raelean’s upcoming Archibald entry. It must be noted that Raelean has already received international attention due to her doctoral research on collaborative portraiture.

“It is deeply satisfying to engage in a meaningful encounter where we reach a new place of personal understanding, growth and possibility. This is the beauty of collaborative work, where we open the inquiry to view new possibilities,” says Raelean.

The word ‘collaboration’ is used in different contexts but not so often in portraiture, where creative interpersonal understandings between the artist and sitter are combined to make for a purposeful and rich encounter – seeing each other in the work.

As we are both actively involved in the Sunshine Coast community, we knew that through our work and our creative insights, we could inspire and stimulate others in our community to work together with greater collaborative spirit. We also shared similar values and both had skills we could bring to the collaboration that would produce a result far greater than what we could achieve on our own.

Of course there was risk involved. Working with each other in this kind of creative space depended on surrendering the armour

of protection and exposing oneself to the unknown. It was an exhilarating feeling, not quite knowing where the collaboration would go to next as we unleashed our creative energy onto canvas to reflect the results.

We both had to trust our instincts because we both had the mindset and the belief that this would work. Everything else happens from there. And it’s the same with any community project, we don’t know what success lies ahead until we make the commitment to act.

Sometimes in life we meet people, and we know not why but it’s an interaction that develops into a relationship that endures either – as the saying goes – for a reason, a season or a lifetime.

I know why I met Raelean and it’s for reasons far greater than producing an Archibald entry in this year’s awards. Raelean has brought humour to my world, at a time when she could not laugh herself. She has taught me to view life in a more abstract way, at a time when my life depended on being logical, rational and organised. And she has taken the meaning of collaboration to a whole new deeply satisfying level.

It is that spirit of collaboration that we hope to share with the Sunshine Coast community.

It’s a calming sight to watch this community of small boats – and community is exactly what defines this volunteer-run sailing club – one of few remaining, after being established about 60 years ago.

The sailing club is headed by commodore, Gard Saunders.

After spontaneously deciding she wanted to learn to sail, Gard was following her usual walking path along Maroochy River when the sailing club’s sign, emblazoned with their motto, ‘Friendship through Sailing’, caught her eye, and her heart.

Now 12 years on, with the last nine years spent as club commodore, Gard is at the helm of a team of around 10 ‘very active’ volunteers. “Everyone from the volunteers to the club members are united by the love of sailing, there is no age barrier and there is such good camaraderie,” Gard smiles.

“I may be the commodore, but it’s a club full of commodores – everyone steps up!”

The sailing club caters to a range of ages and sailing abilities, from children to over 70s, all bound by friendship and buoyed by common interest. “We hold entry level sailing events to the very experienced adventure sailing days, and classic regattas,” Gard says.

Local school students are also benefiting from the maturity that learning to operate a small boat gives them, as they attend weekly lessons as part of their studies. “We are growing our young members, and it teaches them to be aware of the elements and being responsible for themselves,” says Gard.

“I love seeing the younger children sailing on the weekend … they bring their parents and siblings, and before you know it, everyone is jumping in a boat to share the joy! It’s a really good atmosphere and you meet wonderful people.”

With a range of facilities available including bathroom amenities, boat storage, a canteen, clubhouse, showers and rigging areas, and various sailing lesson options on offer, anyone with a basic level of fitness and ability to swim is welcome to join.

Above all, Maroochydore Sailing Club is an environment to grow a community and nurture those with salt water running through their veins who join this nautical neighbourhood.

To get involved visit www.foxsportspulse.com

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past 21 years, you would be familiar with the name Fiona Simpson. The Maroochydore MP’s name has been swept across more newspaper headlines and news bulletins than anyone can count.

Whether good or bad publicity, it seems Fiona has always remained resilient in her cause to see the Sunshine Coast community flourish. This passion for a collective society is not something learned or put on for her role either – it comes from deep within her childhood memories, greatly influenced by her parents.

Fiona was born in a bush hospital in the Victorian Mallee, a semiarid part of Australia where her parents worked as wheat and sheep farmers. The year before Fiona was due to start school her parents decided to relocate the family to the Sunshine Coast, in search of higher education and better career opportunities for their four children of which Fiona is the youngest.

They first moved to Cooroy and then Yandina, where Fiona was enrolled at Yandina Primary School and naturally progressed to Nambour High School. Fiona says her interests in extra-curricular activities were many and varied, trying her hand at everything from drama, singing and playing the flute in a concert band. “My extra-curricular schedule was pretty full-on so I did ok at school, but I was packing everything into it. My mum had a great attitude, she saw there was great benefit in the wide range of interests I had and she encouraged that and didn’t see it as a problem,” Fiona remembers.

It was during these early stages of school that Fiona’s interest in community started to blossom as she began watching her dad work as the Member of Parliament for Cooroora, which he was elected for in 1974. Fiona says he would work up to 100 hours a week and her mother, who also supported the family, was Regional Guide

Commissioner and instrumental in the start of the Citizens Advice Bureau in Nambour.

“My mother anchored the home in supporting him and he is a great dad. They are great role models in that they have always been heavily involved in the community, even before they went into politics they had both been scout leaders and run community organisations, so their example is one of community and getting involved,” Fiona says.

Finishing school at age 17 and with an urge to spread her wings, Fiona was selected for a Rotary Exchange program to Japan, completing another year of school and living alongside seven host families in Gifu, near central Japan. “A great way to learn a language is to learn it cold turkey. I learned fully by immersion,” Fiona remembers. “Living in Japan has also taught me resilience and made me more independent, which I believe has helped me later in life.”

Upon her return to the Sunshine Coast, Fiona enrolled in a fouryear course at the University of Queensland to study a Bachelor of Arts in Japanese Language, Journalism and Government. Soon after her qualification in 1987, Fiona was snapped up as a cadet journalist with Sunshine Coast Newspapers (Sunshine Coast Daily). It was during these first few weeks of work, while posted at Noosa, that Fiona was again confronted with the power of community spirit and the impact it can have on a town. “A few months into the role there was the terrible murder of Noosa schoolgirl Sian Kingi. It was a heart-breaking event and it took some time before the police had sufficient information to convict someone,” Fiona says.

“It was also a good example of how journalism can work really well. We saw the good of what media can do when you are able to

assist the police and being able to keep an issue rightly before the the eyes of the people until there was sufficient information and understanding. I also learnt the power of sensitive journalism, how a community can rally together and to always remember to pause and remember those closest to the story.”

After four years in the role, Fiona decided to take a leap of faith on a music career, writing and recording a gospel album called Destiny. She had planned to take a year off to pursue the dream and return to journalism later on, but as life happens, so did Fiona’s career, in the most unsuspecting way.

“Towards the end of those 12 months there was just a lot happening politically and some big issues in the community, which I was really stirred by,” Fiona says. “I realised if you didn’t like what was happening you couldn’t just sit back and whinge about it, you had to do something about it.

“This attitude was a real shift for me, because if I had still been working nose to the grindstone with my weird and wacky shift work as a journalist I wouldn’t have had time to reflect on what was happening to our community in this way.”

Coincidentally, there was a new government seat in Maroochydore up for grabs that year, so Fiona joined the Liberal National Party the day before preselection nominations closed.

“The opportunity came up to run for a seat ... it was really out of the blue and not something I had planned to do long term, even though I had a family background in politics,” she admits.

Fiona won the preselection in 1991 and started her campaign that year, ready and fired-up for the pending state election in September 1992.

“This was a time when my journalism background really came in handy because I had to write a lot of my own material and do a lot of door knocking in that year. I think, together with family members and friends, I probably door-knocked 11,000 homes,” Fiona says.

In September 1992, at age 27, Fiona was elected to the seat of Maroochydore. She was the youngest woman in Queensland history to win a seat of government.

“When the numbers come in and the scrutineers are ringing you from the polling booths on the night and saying, “You have got this”, it did seem a bit surreal and I don’t think I believed it until I saw the solid evidence,” she says.

“I was very conscious of my age and being a young woman that it was a novelty to some, but I was very aware and prepared for the reality of the work that had to be done for all of the people in the area, not just the young people, not just women – I had to be a representative for good democracy.”

Fiona’s initial plan to hold the seat for a short time soon went out the window when year after year she won the hearts of the community, who continued to re-elect her. She has now held the seat for 21 years, 14 of those years in opposition. During that time she has also held many government portfolios, including health, transport, main roads, tourism, women, communities and housing.

In 2012, Fiona reached another milestone in her political career when the Queensland Premier Campbell Newman swore her in as Queensland's first female Speaker in 150 years.

“It is not a role I expected, but I am honoured to do the role. I sometimes say it’s like being principal of a very interesting school,” Fiona jokes.

Her work now takes up more than 80 hours a week, as well as driving between the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane, she also manages to find time for family, friends and of course, singing.

Fiona expects the next three years to be the most exciting of her career yet.

“There are so many changes happening in the local community and with the expected economic growth of the health department, I can see the Sunshine Coast getting bigger and bigger,” she says.

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The sight of Ted Pretty shepherding a flock of school children safely across the school parking lot for the last time brought a tear to the eye of every adult present during his final farewell. It was a poignant reminder that every day for the past seven years, as small feet filed past and chatter filled the air, the bright colour of his stop sign was wielded tirelessly to ensure their safe passage to class.

After emigrating from England, Mr Pretty as he is commonly known, moved to the Sunshine Coast from Melbourne with his wife. He began his career as a car park attendant at the college, carefully navigating his young charges through the cycle of cars and busses during the busy school drop-off and pick-up zones.

He also read to students every day, sharing his wisdom, encouragement, and grandfatherly sense of humour with

the children. He jokes with a trademark twinkle in his eye, “I used to say to them, ‘If you get a good job, that’s fine – but what kind of job can you keep if you can’t read or write?’” he chuckles.

This is a man whose heart is larger than life. As well as his tireless efforts at Suncoast Christian College, he volunteers at Neighbour’s Aid in Nambour, lends his support to various orphanages, and is well known for giving away tourist park passes he won through daily joke entries.

Luckily, his own family didn’t mind sharing him, and his wife of 61 years and two daughters were there to proudly watch his farewell ceremony, sharing their own fond memories of a selfless husband, fatherof-three, grandfather of 14 and greatgrandfather of five.

Sadly, at the age of 85, Ted Pretty has to take a step back from his role after

suffering health issues. But he assured the captivated crowd that he would come back and visit of course.

And so, after one last crossing for the various television cameras and media present, Ted’s farewell ceremony began where he was treated like a celebrity with speeches, cake and presents in front of the entire lower school. The children delighted in ‘high-fiving’ him as he walked past, while misty-eyed teachers and parents watched on.

“I have enjoyed every minute,” he says softly as he addressed the crowd. “I love all of you and I will miss all of you, everyday.”

But Ted Pretty can be assured his tireless efforts and selfless acts of generosity will forever be a legacy at the school and appreciated by the whole Sunshine Coast community.

Whatever their style, living on the Sunshine Coast, boardies are simply part of our unofficial dress code!

The name boardshorts, as they are formally known, is a nod to their original design for water sports that included a board.

These days, anything goes and boardies are not limited to the surf but are worn as part of our all-year-round attire both in and out of the waves.

Generally longer than normal shorts, boardies were designed to protect surfers from the sticky wax they apply to their board to help them stay on. The longer length covers the back of the legs when they are sitting on the board to avoid leg hair being ripped off by the wax – ouch!

Like any other fashion though, trends have come and gone with boardies – remember those large Hawaiian flowers and bright fluro colours that were once all the rage?! The length of boardshorts has also been affected by fashion trends, ranging from mid-thigh (old school), to below the knee and more recently, let’s just say they are worn to expose a little more of the top of the buttocks than they probably should!

Also known as surf trunks, jams and baggies, boardie brands have somewhat of a cult following, especially in North America as the skater punk fashion trend got underway.

One thing is for sure, love them or loathe them, boardies, in all their shapes and styles are here to stay!

Paul and Paula Misipeka have done everything as a couple since they first met in New Zealand. Paul was the youngest executive of a large company who fast tracked his way into the boardroom; Paula, the nurse who fell in love with a corporate high-flyer.

Together, they moved to Australia and started a family. As a couple they settled in Brisbane, before making the joint decision to move to the Sunshine Coast, where they established their first foray into business ownership with their telecommunications business.

Paul and Paula made millions, had more than 50 staff and had industry recognition in the form of industry, state and Australian awards. They were front runners in the technology industry.

But then after significant operational and financial changes in the telecommunications industry, the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and failed negotiations with a UK buyer, they decided to place the company in a ‘holding pattern’. After self-funding the company and using their property and assets, ultimately, at Christmas, the Misipeka’s found themselves facing financial devastation and the loss of their business identities, alienated from the business world by bankruptcy. “We moved out of our multi-million dollar home … and were sitting amongst our unopened boxes, we realised there was no support, nothing coordinated in the approach to help people,” says Paula.

Motivated by the lack of assistance to address both the financial and physical fallout and subsequent mental health effects, the couple started Life after Business Support (LABS) group in 2009.

“We started the LABS group because we were in pain and we didn’t have any support,” says Paul.

“Without us realising it we were creating our own recovery, as we couldn’t find it anywhere else,” says Paula. “We weren’t prepared to lose our marriage, lose our relationship and lose the respect of the kids (Lorae 23, Trent, 22, and Aaron, 19),” Paul says.

Paul and Paula decided to further their expertise and achieved counselling diplomas, to ensure they would be providing the best practices to their clients. Now, LABS group is a successful training program run in community and business environments, to help participants to recover from their business and financial losses, reengage with life and regain confidence.

“What you see in there is really exciting,” Paul shares of the power they witness in the sessions. “They recognise they aren’t alone.”

“We believe that a business person is still a business person, they may have lost a lot of money but their skills and abilities are still there.”

They both brim with ideas and passion, sharing their other services, including the launch of a DVD and book for redundancy services, with plans to stream the LABS group sessions online for interstate and international accessibility, as well as pen a book about their journey. “We really believe that every Australian, whether they are a business owner or a worker, should be able to access excellent resources and be able to reach for recovery,” says Paul.

Paula says thoughtfully, “I think strain, struggle and sometimes suffering can actually make you dig deeper and make you recognise really who you are and what you can do … people might not want to drive the Mercedes and do the business, they might want to live at the back of Maleny.” “There are amazing opportunities to come from levelling your life.”

Wise words from the couple who, always united, have navigated the winding road back from business loss, signposting a new road to success along the way.

If you would like more information on LABS, please visit www.labsgroup.org.au

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