Mayor Jamieson - Singing from the same hymn sheet

This week I’d like to take you to church - picture if you will a choir singing in perfect harmony – every voice clear, as the group of individuals works as one.

Then try and conjure the opposite experience – a dozen voices fighting each other to be heard, causing confusion and disharmony.

I guess that’s how the expression “singing from the same hymn sheet’ came about. If you want to get your message across you need to speak with one voice – whether you are a business, a community group or a region.

I’ll give you an example. The State Government has recently launched a website asking Queenslanders to nominate projects for funding from its planned assets sales.

This provides the Sunshine Coast with a unique opportunity to get much needed investment in infrastructure.

We’ll be competing with every region across Queensland to get our fair share of the $8.6 billion, which is why it’s so important for us to speak with one voice.

The alternative is hundreds of different proposals with little to no chance of success.

Council has identified five priorities which it thinks would bring the most benefit to the region and would love your support to try and get the State Government’s attention.

They include:

1. The duplication and upgrade of the North Coast Rail Line between Beerburrum and Nambour.
2. The inclusion of the upgrade of the Bruce Highway to six lanes from Caboolture to the Sunshine Coast in the Bruce Highway Action Plan over the next decade.
3. Road network upgrades to the Sunshine Coast Motorway and Nicklin Way interchange and the Mooloolah River Crossing.
4. Implementation of the Coast Connect priority bus spine from Caloundra to Maroochydore with a future connection to Noosa.
5. A funding contribution towards delivering the entertainment, convention and exhibition centre in the Maroochydore Priority Development Area

If you’d like to help the region speak with one voice go to council’s website.

The organisation I’d like to shine the Mayoral spotlight on this week to raise awareness about all its good work is the Wildlife Volunteers of Yandina.

Better known as WILVOS, this dedicated group of people devote their time and effort to rescue, rehabilitate and release precious Australian native wildlife across an area of approximately 6000 square kilometres, from Gympie to northern Brisbane and west to Kilcoy and Imbil.

From all animal lovers, a heartfelt thanks and if you’d like to volunteer or make a donation go to www.wilvos.org.au

First published in the Sunshine Coast Daily on 5 August 2014