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28-page liftout Property Guide
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INSIDE
PR OP ER TY
Last stand for glossies By Margie Maccoll
Spencer Hitchen, 12, at Lot 9 Grasstree Court.
Picture: ROB MACCOLL
“Hi it’s Spencer. The bulldozers are here. Mummy’s been arrested,“ was the call Noosa Today received last week from Spencer Hitchen, 12, when the Blue Care retirement village development at Lot 9 Grasstree Court, Sunrise Beach, began with the clearing of wallum habitat he had fought for five years to protect. Maxine Hitchen, Spencer’s mum, has stood by her son’s side as he, with Glossy Team Sunrise members, led a campaign to save the land identified as a critical feeding area for the endangered Glossy Black Cockatoos, and has always advocated peaceful protest, negotiation and lawful actions. Their campaign has included a 76,000 signature petition, countless letters to politicians, appearances on news shows across the country and acknowledgement by environmental groups including Birdlife Australia. A peaceful protest attended by about 60 people was staged at the site two weeks earlier with attendees including Maxine and Spencer hoping for government intervention. They were not expecting last Thursday to find bulldozers tearing down the trees and grinding them into the ground. Police said the developers had called them and they arrested a few people for obstructing the work. Maxine said police told her she was arrested after failing to provide an officer with her name. Continued page 4
Assault appeals By Margie Maccoll
12497020-DL22-21
Police have made repeated appeals to the public to come forward with information involving the death of Noosa man John Campbell Kerr, 87, who passed away after he was brutally assaulted in Noosa Woods on the Hastings Street boardwalk about 6am Sunday morning while going for a morning walk. Sunshine Coast Criminal Investigation Branch Detective inspector Chris Toohey said a second assault of a 69-year-old man occurred around the same time and location on
Hastings Street though the assaults were not visible to one another. He said the 69-year-old man received injuries consistent with bodily harm. He received medical attention then came forward to police to provide a statement. Det insp Toohey said there was only one person of interest to police in the investigation and Mr Kerr and the 69-year-old man were not known to each other. Police have charged a 27-year-old Gympie man with the serious assault of the 69-year-old
man and the matter went before Maroochydore Magistrate’s Court Monday morning. The accused did not appear in court in person and the matter was adjourned until 24 July. Police launched Operation Victor Cord on Sunday after Mr Kerr was found unconscious, face up on the boardwalk with severe injuries to his face. Bystanders assisted Mr Kerr ahead of the emergency response, however, he died at the scene. “It was a very confronting scene. It was very
confronting for the community. They attended to Mr Kerr very well and we should thank them for that,” Det insp Toohey said. “It’s a tragic incident for an elderly man going out for his morning walk. “It is concerning a male person going out on a morning walk has sustained these injuries and died as a result of these injuries.“ The family of Mr Kerr released a photo on Monday in the hope it would encourage more witnesses to come forward. Continued page 3