ISLANDS DEFY COVID-19 LOCKDOWNS WITH A DEFINITE ‘BOUNCE’ IN OUR SPRING
It’s Spring, and us islanders could not be blamed for having a bit of a “spring in our step’ at this very special time of the year.
That is because so many ‘positive cards’ seem to be falling into place for our islands.
From improved spending in council budgets to considerations and infrastructure courtesy of the State Government, backed up by a burgeoning home building and real estate sector, it is all ‘looking good’.
Starting with Redland City Council spending that has nearly doubled the amount previously for our island roads, thanks to the ‘Green Seal’ program.
It gets even better when we get to what is happening courtesy of the State Government.
The $34 million build on our island jetties by council and the State Government is going ahead in leaps and bounds.
Already the pontoons and structures are far more advanced that we thought was possible, ready for new ‘plug in’ jetties in 2022.
The feature on the jetty build in this edition is revealing and a real positive for our islands.
Add in the Satellite Hospital build by the State Government to be completed in 2022 and it is getting ivery exciting, making the facility a much easier health destination for islanders in particular.
Then there are the major developments of Weinam Creek, Toondah Harbour and now Birkdale which all have major benefits for our islands.
They say if you improve your ‘front door’ everything else follows
Well, Weinam Creek is the SMB Islands’ ‘front door’ with Toondah Harbour playing the same role for North Stradbroke Island.
These developments will change the way our islands are perceived; showing the way to new state-of-the-art jetties on each of the islands.
The other area of excitement is the growth in home building.
The number of homes under construction at the present time is just extraordinary.
In one street on Russell Island alone we counted five homes under construction.
There are many other streets that have multiple homes being built.
And with these new homes, new home owners will become new islanders; and all this adds up to a major demographic change.
Clearly the face of our islands is changing for the better; and all it took was a greater consideration of our needs and a ‘fair share’ on infrastructure funding.
Our course, it shouldn’t just end there.
There is so much more to be done after many years of previous ‘neglect’, by successions of Governments at Local, State and Federal levels.
Our voice is growing stronger and, at last, those who have the purse strings are finally listening.
So let’s stay positive, be grateful for the changes and infrastructure that is coming, and keep pushing for a more equitable ‘piece of the pie’.