BUDGET RESPONSE 
Dear editor,

Another Council budget, another year Division 8 apparently subsidises other areas.

Compare the Capital Works Highlights for adjacent Divisions: Division 8, $7,474,503; Division 9, $19,175,118 (NOT including the Nambour Landfill works – add $13M); Division 4, $32,109,394 (NOT including the Mooloolaba Seawall works – add $21M).

Coolum District Sports Facilities – $6M; Honey Farm (Division 3) Sports Facilities – nearly $17M (this is not part of the Bokarina Stadium upgrade); North Shore Football Club? – $10,000 for “carpark design”. What happened to the Indoor Sports Complex proposal tossed around earlier this year? Another “non-announcement”, even with the caveat that North Shore would be vying with the Honey Farm precinct for it? What about even some open-air hardcourt facilities there?

As for the South Coolum Road/Suncoast Beach Drive extensions – $1.25M for “design”, on top of last year’s $300,000. Seriously? There is talk of $36M being allocated for construction in 2029-30, subject to another caveat regarding TMR’s schedule for the Motorway on/off ramps. Will this be another exercise in obfuscation like the Mt Coolum amenities block (eventually paid for by QPWS)?

It’s been suggested that the Nojour Road boat ramp area also needs an amenities block. There’s no need for a sewer connection – there are several “waterless” alternatives if Council cares to look.

Most of the listed budget items are low-cost “renewals”, this budget’s buzzword. Surely renewals are a maintenance item, not a Capital Works “highlight”! What about some serious investment north of the River? New/extended footpaths, improved drainage, a wider range of sporting facilities, road safety features, and beautification projects spread throughout the community.

Division 8 has as many residents as the others. We pay our rates like everyone else, and many pay a coastal premium courtesy of land valuations. Council adds insult to injury by increasing rates by 9.7% at the same time as valuations have significantly increased.

Many valuations in my area have increased over 50%, not the “average 24%” quoted in the media. What will the actual rate increase be? And what improvements (not maintenance) will Division 8 see for it, particularly north of the River? Minimal compared to other Divisions. It’s a disgrace.

Estelle Blair,
Yaroomba.
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STADIUM REPLY 
Dear editor,

The legislative progress so enthused by E.Rowe comes on the back of a broken promise to protect heritage and environmental land, the basis of our “winning” the Olympic Games for Brisbane in 2032.  In accord with the contempt displayed toward the Indigenous inhabitants of this area for thousands of years, in June 2025, the State Government passed legislation to exempt Olympic venues from major planning and environment laws:  effectively by-passing Victoria Park’s heritage listing.

The protests of our First Nations people have been joined by large  gatherings of their fellow Australians expressing outrage at what ex-Premier Campbell Newman called “an act of barbarism” and a group of genteel little old ladies vowing to fight until this destruction of their beloved park  ceases, pronto!

Besides the fact that this is public land comprising inner Brisbane’s last remaining sizeable green space, it also contains the only still functioning aquifer in the Brisbane region. The addition of a gigantic stadium, overpasses, associated infrastructure and increased traffic within an already busy intersection between three major schools, a hospital, the Exhibition Grounds and a university – will surely remove any resemblance to a valued city space.

Perhaps I could remind E.Rowe that any glory emanating from these Games would reflect on Australia as a whole, not particularly on Queensland.  If we are to be subjected to the Olympic hoo-ha in 2032, could the venue be relocated to an area not of heritage value to our First Nations, and also my fellow Australians, who, if I recall, were not asked if we actually wanted the invasion of these athletic achievers and their audience.

After all, why would we need the Olympics when we have the Socceroos?

Linese Norrish,
Coolum Beach.
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POLITICS 
Dear editor,

Is it true that in Wonderland, the Dodo, the Duchess, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum have joined the Mad Hatter to form the Red Queen’s Team? When questioned, the Red Queen trumpeted,  “All ways here are my ways”. (L. Carroll).

Margaret Wilkie,
Peregian Beach.
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WRITING FOR HEALTH  
Dear editor,

There is something sacred about the way grandmothers write. The slow curve of a letter. The quiet pause before a thought becomes ink.

Dr Hiroshi Tanaka never set out to study grandmothers. He wanted to understand why some seniors in Kyoto – well into their eighties – remained so mentally sharp. He expected genetics, diet, or perhaps some rare herb grown on a misty mountainside.
But the secret was far more familiar. They wrote. Every day. Ten to fifteen minutes. Ink on paper.

Tanaka’s brain scans revealed what many families have felt all along: handwriting awakens the mind. It strengthens memory, focus, and clarity. It keeps the inner world alive.

When he tested it, older adults who wrote by hand for six months showed stronger recall and quicker thinking than those who typed the same words.

The pen wasn’t preserving memories. It was nurturing the mind. Perhaps that’s why his research feels so deeply connected to grandmothers.

Grandmothers have always written. Letters to loved ones far away. Recipes passed down with smudges of butter. Birthday cards with a five-dollar note tucked inside. Little reminders stuck to fridges and mirrors. Stories scribbled in notebooks no one else has seen.

Their handwriting is more than ink. It is presence. It is love made visible.

In a world that rushes, grandmothers slow down. In a world that forgets, they remember. In a world that taps and swipes, they still choose the steady honesty of a pen.

Maybe that’s the quiet lesson Tanaka uncovered – the mind stays alive when the heart stays involved.

So to every grandmother who picks up a pen to write a note, a memory, a prayer, a recipe, a reminder – thank you. You are not just keeping track of life. You are keeping your mind awake to it. And the generations who love you are grateful for your every word.

Garry Reynolds,
Peregian Springs.
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RATES 
Dear editor,

So our Sunshine Coast Council has budgeted for a 9.7% rate rise. The Mayor has stated it is a financially responsible increase. It is beyond belief that an increase almost three times the rate of inflation is “responsible”. The Mayor’s spin doctors must have been working unpaid overtime to come up with that excuse. It’s getting hard to believe anything that politicians spruik these days.

Brian Harry,
Coolum Beach.
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SALOVOS RED SHIELD APPEAL  
Dear editor,

It is important to take advantage of moments throughout the year to reflect. To take stock of the blessings, the successes and the positive moments in your life.

In the past couple of weeks, The Salvation Army have had the chance to reflect on the incredible spirit of generosity that pervades our Australian culture.

We saw Australia come together and dig deep for our Red Shield Appeal weekend recently. We witnessed radical kindness and support, and for that, we say an enormous Thank You.

However, for the Salvos, this time of reflection must pivot into action. Our Red Shield Appeal is still aiming to raise $41 million by June 30, and we are not there yet.

What this reflection does provide us with, though, is a sense of hope for the future. The hope that we will reach our goal and, more importantly, be able to continue our vital services right across the nation.

In fact, through supporting the Salvos this year, you can literally BE the hope that others desperately need. It is the sort of hope that says to someone doing it tough, “It will be okay, we are here for you, and we will help you at your point of need.”

This is the hope that the Salvos provide to someone every 17 seconds in Australia. This is what you can be a part of through the Red Shield Appeal.

In fact, our recent research illustrates exactly what these people are going through.

Those coming to us for help are skipping meals daily, using public spaces to shower and eating out of rubbish bins – all because of the cost of living and how tough it is financially for so many people.

So, while we say the biggest thank you to all Australians who have given so far, we also say to those who may still be considering supporting the Red Shield Appeal to please do so. Please be the hope for someone doing it tough.

To make a tax-deductible donation to The Salvation Army’s Red Shield Appeal, or if you need support from the Salvos, visit salvationarmy.org.au or call 13 SALVOS. You can also donate at any Salvos Store.

Major Bruce Harmer,
The Salvation Army.