Friday, 4 November, 2022
Major Sponsor Contributing to water safety
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Rare find gifted to QCWA
Former CEO reflects
Dave rides for kids
36-page liftout Property Guide
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INSIDE
PR OP ER TY
Gentle’s Tri domination continues
Ashleigh Gentle winning the 2022 Garmin Noosa Triathlon.
Picture: KORUPT VISION
Ashleigh Gentle has continued her dominance of the women’s race at the Garmin Noosa Triathlon, winning an incredible ninth title in 10 years, while Charlie Quin claimed his first win in the men’s race, setting a new course record on the way to victory. Gentle crossed the finish line on Noosa Parade in 1:57:26, just over a minute ahead of Amelia Watkinson, with Hannah Knighton third. “I guess Noosa Tri’s been in the back of my mind all year, it’s always one that I really look forward to,” Gentle said. “I felt pretty calm and relaxed heading into the race but, you know, once you get on the start line, you know you have to really focus. Every race I come here always pans out really differently, different competitors each year coming in and with some really great strengths pushing me to the end, that’s for sure.” Continued page 39
Cable connection By Phil Jarratt
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With surprisingly little fanfare, the world’s first communications submarine cable and landing station to be funded by local government opened for business in Maroochydore in September, providing Queensland’s first direct international data and telecommunications connection to global markets. And, according to several sources in the information and communications technology industry, the $35 million Sunshine Coast Council and Queensland Government joint investment is already close to putting the Sunshine Coast International Broadband Network in the black, with the completion of the sale of
the landing station and data centre to ASX-listed operator NEXTDC for $8 million, and other big commercial deals on the table. The council’s investment of $20 million in the project was topped up by $15 million from the state’s Jobs and Regional Growth Fund, and, as Mayor Mark Jamieson told an elite gathering of the world’s leading undersea cable experts and operators in Noosa last week, the project is forecast to deliver nearly 900 new jobs and stimulate $927 million in new investment in the region. Graham Evans, chairman of the International Cable Protection Committee, told Noosa Today that Mayor Jamieson had given the
executive committee of the ICPC a glowing report of prospects for this historic new business model within the $27.5 billion industry that transmits all of the world’s internet data. The project has delivered the first direct landing into Queensland of a new international fibre optic submarine cable, providing Australia’s fastest data and telecommunications transmission speeds to Asia and the second fastest to the USA, following a lucky break when the Australian Communications Media Authority issued a permit for it just as the RTI Connectivity company was building a 9600-kilometre submarine cable between Japan, Guam and Australia South. It turned out a 550-kilometre
branch could feasibly and affordably connect the JGA cable to a new landing station at Maroochydore. And with the cost of the JGA cable estimated at more than $450 million, $35 million for the branch seemed a bargain. The branch cable connects to the network at a purpose-built landing station adjacent to the new Maroochydore City Centre. The landing station has been built with the capacity to accommodate up to four submarine cables, futureproofing that will ensure additional cables can be connected quickly and efficiently. PHIL JARRATT explains the booming global industry and the Sunshine Coast’s part in it on pages 4-5.