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PR OP ER T Y

Heroes of the sea The hard truth, according to Noosa Councillor Amelia Lorentson, is that last week could have ended in tragedy. “Thanks to the heroic efforts of our professional lifeguards and the teams supporting them, we dodged a bullet,“ she said. Cr Lorentson has highlighted the incredible rescues and named the heroes involved to remind the community how fortunate they are to have such highly skilled and selfless professionals keeping the local beaches safe. “One message was loud and clear when I spoke with the rescuers—it was a team effort,“ she said. “They didn’t think about the risks; they just acted. But each of them agreed: last week could have been devastating. Those rescued were lucky; they had angels looking over them in the form of our finest watermen and women.“ She also highlighted the vital role the career lifeguards play in keeping their beaches safe. “They know these waters better than anyone, navigating conditions and challenges most of us can’t imagine,“ Cr Lorentson said. These highly skilled and competent individuals don’t just patrol—they face life-ordeath emergencies like resuscitations, heart attacks, and ocean rescues. Continued page 3

Lifeguard Thomas Cervi in action. (Kurt Schirmer)

Weathering Alfred Thanks to the exceptional efforts of our lifeguards, our volunteers, emergency services, our local council, the preparedness of residents and the largely skirting around Noosa of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred we have largely escaped unscathed with little more than the eroded cliffs of eastern beaches leaving a mark of its visit. Noosa State Emergency Service (SES) local controller Warren Kuskopf said there was not one call to them for assistance as the the cyclone threatened Noosa last weekend.

Instead, Noosa SES crews opted to help out our near neighbours with some in Hervey Bay and others on the Sunshine Coast. Mayor Frank Wilkie commended the efforts of residents, community groups, council staff and partner agencies in preparing for the potential impacts of Tropical Cyclone Alfred. “We’ve been extremely fortunate and our community has done a fantastic job in being wellinformed and prepared,” Cr Wilkie said.

Cr Wilkie said the Local Disaster Management Group (LDMG) was prepared and learned much from the exercise. “This cyclone tested our processes in the newly built Local Disaster Coordination Centre and was a good opportunity for the three levels of government to coordinate resources plus communications to, and from, the community.” In October 2024, Cr Wilkie stood with Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli to jointly

launch Get Ready week. Five months later, both councils worked together to respond to TC Alfred. “As the newly appointed LDMG chair, I can say the cooperation, support and effort between all agencies was extremely professional. “That outward-facing, community focus was reflected through three levels of government during daily meetings with the District Disaster and Queensland Disaster Management Groups. Continued page 5

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