Council to focus on waterfront infrastructure

April 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The Gold Coast City Council says it will take more interest in the condition of jetties, pontoons and revetment walls on waterfront properties.

Councillor Eddy Sarroff says a report into aging waterfront infrastructure highlighted there were public safety and environmental concerns.

Councillor Sarroff says a number of pontoons were dislodged during February’s flooding in the Coomera River.

“What we are saying is that we are encouraging property owners fronting the waterways to ensure their revetment walls are structurally sound and that those structures are maintained regularly,” he said.

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Sculpture to honour ‘suntan man’

April 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment

A bronze sculpture that honours a former tourism icon has been poured on the Gold Coast in south-east Queensland today.

For more than three decades, Al Baldwin, or Al the Suntan man, sprayed lotion on visitors to Surfers Paradise beach.

He died in 2004 at the age of 74.

The Gold Coast City Council has commissioned a sculpture which replicates the Suntan Man’s famous deck chair and cap.

Lead sculptor Frederic Berjot says many people have fond memories of Al Baldwin, including his own mother-in-law.

“She’s always mentioned this guy who used to be on the Gold Coast and used to spray all of these young girls and he was handsome-looking,” he said.

The sculpture will be finished next year and will be placed on the Surfers Paradise beachfront

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Gold Coast launches formal bid for 2018 Commonwealth Games

April 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Queensland’s Gold Coast is formally bidding for the Commonwealth Games in 2018.

The Queensland government, the Gold Coast City council and the Commonwealth Games Association signed the bid documents Wednesday morning.

Premier Anna Bligh says $11 million has been set aside for the bid and hosting the Games could cost more than a billion dollars.

“I’m very excited about this bid – I think it is an opportunity for us to be promoting the Gold Coast in every Commonwealth country,” she said.

“As we go through the bid process I believe we are very well placed to win this bid and that gives us the chance over the next 8 years to grow the Gold Coast’s ability.”

Mayor of the Gold Coast Ron Clarke says a lot of the infrastructure needed for a Commonwealth Games is already planned or in place.

“The convention centre, more particularly we have a potential great site for the village at Griffith University there,” he said.

“We have the aquatic centre at Southport, and of course Carrara.

“We have the main stadium due and so most of our facilities we have them up and ready and so we have a great advantage in that way.”

Councillor Clarke, who has competed in three Commonwealth Games, says the Gold Coast is the ideal venue.

“The weather is just superb and if everything’s fair, and I was an athlete, this would be the best place on earth to run an event like this and the Gold Coast will be ready for it.”

The State Opposition Leader John-Paul Langbroek backs the Gold Coast bid for the 2018 Commonwealth Games but wants to see the financial details.

Mr Langbroek says the Games would be a huge economic boost for the Coast and the state.

“It’s important that governments provide all sorts of resources, not just schools and hospitals,” he said.

“But it’s the Premier who’s been saying we need to privatise and sell off Queensland’s assets because of schools and hospitals.

“This is another matter some years away that the Premier has assured me and needs our support for it to be a successful bid that we can afford.

“So I’m looking forward to a costed business plan that we’re going to support.”

Australian Commonwealth Games Association head Sam Coffa says the Gold Coast has a good chance of hosting the 2018 event.

The main rival is expected to be the Nigerian city of Abuja.

Mr Coffa says Queensland has a good track record.

“Many of our Commonwealth colleagues fondly remember the people of Queensland who hosted the outstanding 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games and I am sure this will stand us in good stead with our 2018 bid,” he said.

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Queensland Indian-origin cabbies cry racism after colleague charged with kidnapping

March 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Sydney, Mar. 29 (ANI): Indian-origin cab drivers in the Australia’s Gold Coast city have threatened to go on a strike after police charged an Indian cabbie with kidnapping of five female passengers who disputed a fare.

It was alleged that the 24-year-old driver, who has not been named, picked up five young women from Southport and took them to Surfers Paradise.

“When they reached their destination, the driver asked for payment but the passengers have disputed the amount,” News.com.au quoted a police spokeswoman, as saying.

“It”s alleged the driver then locked the doors of the taxi and drove the passengers erratically around Surfers Paradise,” he added.

The driver, who has been suspended by Gold Coast Cabs, is set to appear at Southport Magistrates Court on April 7.

However, his Indian colleagues say the driver is a victim of racial discrimination by his passengers, police and the taxi company.

“The police should not have charged the driver. It is impossible to lock someone in a cab so I don”t know how it is kidnapping,” Gurwinder Singh said.

“Indian drivers are being abused by passengers all the time. Our skin is brown but we are still human,” he added.

Gold Coast Cabs CEO Martin O”Riordan confirmed that there was unrest among his Indian drivers, and they have threatened strike action.

“There is some feeling that they don”t know what the charges are based on. The Indian drivers believe the police don”t listen to them as effectively as other people in the community because of their racial background,” he said.

“We have explained to them that we have a standing-down policy for any driver charged with a criminal offence, and that it is applied evenly to both native and overseas drivers,” he added. (ANI)

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Council puts brakes on bike hire scheme

March 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The Gold Coast City Council is voting against a foreshore bicycle hire scheme strongly supported by Mayor Ron Clarke.

Councillor Clarke says he is disappointed at the decision after fighting for the scheme for 12 months.

He says he believes the system would have been another tourist attraction.

“We get almost 6six million day visitors each year,” Cr Clarke said.

“If you divide that into public holidays that’s 48,000 every public holiday including weekends down here on the coast.

“Most of [the visitors are] coming into the coastal areas, the foreshore and the beaches and this is an added attraction for them.”

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Nerang water ‘all clear’ to drink

March 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Authorities say there is no longer a need for Nerang residents on Queensland’s Gold Coast to boil their drinking water.

The alert was issued last Friday after E. coli bacteria was found in some supplies.

The Gold Coast City Council says it has yet to determine what caused the problem.

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Hope for boil water alert to be lifted

March 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Gold Coast city councillor Peter Young says he expects Nerang residents on the Gold Coast can stop boiling drinking water today.

Council says E. coli was found during testing last week and 2,500 properties were affected.

Cr Young says he expects the all-clear should be given later today.

“Three tests have been undertaken over the weekend and all clear and based on that the council and the Department of Health decided to lift the notice but that was revoked so the notice stays in place until another clear test which will hopefully be today and then we can issue the all-clear,” he said.

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Golf great Norman to do his bit for Victoria bushfire victims

February 11, 2009 By 1 Comment

Melbourne, Feb.11 (ANI): Golfing great Greg Norman has agreed to participate in a celebrity tournament next week to support Victoria’s bushfire victims.

Norman will be joined by the likes of cricketer Justin Langer and swimmer Todd Pearson, at The Vines Resort in Queensland on Tuesday to help raise money for the bushfire appeal, reports news.com.au.

Money raised on the day will be added to a contribution to be made by the Johnnie Walker Classic, which will be held at The Vines from February 19.

Players and officials at this week’s Women’s Australian Open at Metropolitan in Melbourne have also pledged their support, while further help will come from AFL fans and players at the NAB Cup game on the Gold Coast and from New Zealand rugby fans at the season-opening round of Super 14 matches across the Tasman.

The ongoing support from the various sporting codes came as the Red Cross said funds raised for the bushfire victims had topped 44 million dollars.

The Gold Coast Football Club, the Gold Coast City Council and the AFL have agreed to donate 50 per cent of the proceeds from the game on Saturday between St Kilda and the Brisbane Lions, a gesture expected to raise more than 70,000 dollars.

Brisbane Lions chief executive Michael Bowers said: “The fires are clearly a national tragedy and we are pleased to be able work as part of the AFL industry to do whatever we can to help.”

St Kilda chief executive Archie Fraser said: “This is a time when every contribution, regardless of the size will help the people affected by the tragic events of the past week.”

On Friday New Zealand Red Cross volunteers will be on hand at the Super 14 match between the Highlanders and the Brumbies in Dunedin, the Crusaders-Chiefs game at Christchurch and the Hurricanes-Waratahs match in Wellington.

New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew said with two Australian teams playing in New Zealand (the Waratahs and Brumbies) on the opening weekend of the Super 14 competition, it was timely for rugby in New Zealand to show its support.

“This is a human tragedy on an unimaginable scale and everyone involved in rugby in New Zealand wishes to express our sympathy and concern for those who have lost loved ones and provide tangible support for those now needing to rebuild their lives,” he said.

Players and spectators at all three matches in New Zealand and at the AFL match on the Gold Coast will also be asked to observe a minute’s silence before the games.

At the Women’s Australian Open, the Ladies European Tour (LET) and Australian Ladies Professional Golf (ALPG) Tour, who co-sanction the 500,000-dollar event will donate five dollars for every birdie over the four days of competition.

ALPG Tour boss Warren Sevil said players were being invited to match this or to donate some of their prize money. (ANI)

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