TOWN PLAN

Dear editor,

As a very regular visitor to Coolum, may I add my voice to that of local Councillor Maria Suarez in calling for residents to make submissions for the Proposed Town Planning Scheme for the Coolum-Peregian Local Plan Area.

The Proposed Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme is open for public submissions with forums and displays to inform residents. All submissions, regardless of size, will be reviewed. The Council will use AI to evaluate public preferences for future developments in their communities.

So, if you are concerned about building heights, narrow streets, lack of parking, etc., have your say.

If you are concerned about planning for climate-resilience, protecting our environmental assets and green spaces, have your say.

Check out the Council’s website to see how to make your submission. Submissions close on Friday, September 19.

Robyn Deane,

Nambour.

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GEN Z WOMEN

Dear editor,

Gen Z Australians (1997-2012) have been dealt a tough hand to play with the legacy of heightened house prices creating ambiguity in their lives. While a long way in years from Gen Z, I’m concerned for their happiness and the ability of Australia to replace its ageing population.

What is different today from the past?

At a stage when their parents were pairing up and contemplating starting a family, Gen Z are barely out of the dating starting gate. They may be reluctant to form a permanent bond after seeing the dissolution of their parents’ marriages or the rise in domestic violence.

Meanwhile, young women are taking on further education at a greater rate than men and studying longer for higher degrees. They could be well into their thirties before they feel it might be the right time to have kids, and then they’ve got to find the right partner.

Meeting the right partner online has proved increasingly problematic as trust in dating apps has declined following horror stories and the exasperation of incessant ghosting and breadcrumbing. Online dating has become the fast fashion of romance in the hope that there’s always going to be someone better with the next swipe.

Young people increasingly view dating and finding a life partner as two separate endeavours, whereas in the past they tended to go together. Rightfully, they don’t want to rush into a relationship to fulfil their dream of starting a family.

They may be torn between their parents’ expectations and the biological clock ticking, while not wanting to miss the boat in finding a loyal partner as a good father. These challenges of Gen Z dating are resulting in an increasing number of young women freezing their eggs. Without that fallback, the generation following WW1 faced even greater difficulties when so many men did not return from the front or were a shattered shell of the young man who departed our shores.

It was hard for young women to find a suitable life partner from a diminished pool of eligible men, but they did, enabling Gen Z to try again today.

Garry Reynolds,

Peregian Springs.

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DEMENTIA AWARENESS

Dear editor,

Dementia doesn’t just impact the person living with the condition and their immediate carers; it also impacts their family, friends and wider social network.

With an estimated 433,300 Australians living with dementia and 1.7 million people involved in their care, chances are you know someone who is impacted by dementia.

People living with dementia tell us that friends and family often drop away, not knowing how to interact with them once they have a diagnosis.

That’s why this Dementia Action Week ( September 15-21) we are challenging everyone in the community to reach out and reconnect to someone impacted by dementia because nobody can do it alone. For some practical ideas about how to reconnect, visit dementia.org.au/dementiaactionweek

For support any time, please contact the National Dementia Helpline on 1800 100 500, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Merran Kelsall AO – Chair Dementia Australia

Ann Pietsch – Chair Dementia Australia Advisory Committee

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HOUSING

Dear editor,

Australia has a housing affordability crisis. The people who are tasked to fix it – their interests lie elsewhere. Their interests lie in increasing the value of their often vast housing portfolio. Normally, this is just good capitalism. Increasingly, though, people are looking for meaning in ways that diverge from this. Living in a country where politicians represent all classes of interest fairly might be a start! A country with no homeless people might be another. Impossible, cry the (Libs/Lab) naysayers … wrong. There are NO homeless people in Russia and China. It’s time to set the bar higher for our elected reps.

Dylan White,

Coolum Beach.

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SURF CLUB RENO

Dear editor,

We have been watching the renovations to the Coolum Surf Club with anticipation. We heard on the grapevine that the entertainment area was a priority, and we could soon enjoy some music and dancing without the interruption of drinkers and diners. We were previously embarrassed for the musicians, with people laughing and talking as no dedicated area was available.

Well, guess what? More poker machines and a flash entrance – that’s all that’s been done! This is disappointing and insulting, as it is obvious the pokies are all they are interested in for obvious reasons. Music doesn’t bring in more money.

A very disappointed long-time member here – if the view wasn’t so good, I wouldn’t go anymore, but I won’t be going as much as I have been. Shame on you!

Robyn Blakemore

Coolum Beach

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WIND ENERGY

Dear editor,

Confirmation from 2 windmill Dons; Don Quixote (1612) and Don, the USA’s Mad King. Both Dons intend to slay the windmills. The Mad King pronounced (2019) that “I know windmills very much. They’re noisy, they kill the birds. You want to see a bird graveyard? Go under a windmill someday. You’ll see more birds than you’ve ever seen in your life”.

Is the science now settled?

Margaret Wilkie,

Peregian Beach.

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