The 2018/19 Council budget includes provision of $1.25m for a children’s playground in Cooroy. My understanding is that a further $1.25m or more will need to be provided in 2019/20 to complete the project. So we are building a $2.5m playground in a rural village where old people outnumber the young nearly 3:1.
Clearly this playground is not meant just for Cooroy. The intention is to attract tourists and coastal families westward into the hinterland. Most of the users of the playground will drive to Cooroy, park in Cooroy and add value to local businesses, or at least they had better because $2.5m is a lot of money to spend on a playground for the around 700 under 15’s who live in Cooroy.
So that’s the theory – the playground is necessary to draw people to the hinterland and encourage young families to settle in the area.
Noosa already has a higher proportion of older people than the Queensland average, and the predictions are this proportion will continue to grow. But the conventional wisdom seems to be that this is a bad thing, that Noosa needs to attract more young families to build jobs and economic development. Why?
Quite a lot of research has shown that there are positive economic and jobs benefits in communities that attract retirees. A study in the US concluded that these benefits are particularly marked if the community actively seeks to provide for retirees. So why in Noosa are we going against the grain? Why are we turning our backs on a lucrative industry and trying to attract younger people?
Life expectancy is increasing. The average retiree can expect 30-40 years in retirement. Over 60’s are the fastest growing demographic. They hold a large proportion of the country’s wealth. They don’t need jobs, they create jobs, especially in the health and services industries; they bring disposable income into the community that is spent in the community; they’re a large consumer group. Apart from tourism, retirement is probably Noosa’s main economic driver. So why this push to turn our backs on it and attract younger people?
It’s my understanding that the Operational Plan recently presented to Council had the priorities over the next year as rural enterprise, the digital sector and sustainable tourism. The aged care and services sector was ignored until Cr. Jackson asked for it to be included. As Cr. Jackson has said, with the expectation that 33% of our population will be over 65 by 2036, it must surely be a priority for planning. Is there something wrong with recognising that Noosa’s economy now and into the future is going to rely on the retirement industry and the economic benefits it brings?
The playground is for Cooroy people in the same way that the coastal facilities are for Noosa people only. In other words, this new super-duper playground and, it should be noted, its park facilities for adults, is for all Shire residents. And while it could be cute to call Cooroy a village (think Kin Kin) the joint really is a thriving town with a growing population. Currently the town’s population is around 4,500.
I agree that we should also embrace and assist older people, those already here and those on the way. Already these people form the backbone of the very many community groups as volunteers. In fact, we have one of the highest rates of volunteers per head in Queensland. I don’t agree, however, that this demographic needs a lot of financial assistance from Council. They certainly are catered for in the health sector and the increase in elder living residential units and complexes is rising to meet the demand. But, these people often have grandkids to entertain, so I’ll bet that they will head straight for Cooroy with them is this park is as popular as is expected.
My biggest concern is can the infrastructure of Cooroy handle the expected increase in residents, let alone an influx of visitors to the playground? Until some traffic and other infrastructure issues are solved, I’d say perhaps not.
Thanks for the comment Rod. Yes, the playground is not just for Cooroy, it’s meant for tourists, Noosa Shire and of course neighbouring shires, and like you I am wondering about whether the infrastructure in Cooroy is going to cope with the needs of so many visitors in cars, and indeed whether our roads to and from Cooroy need more cars on them. Like you I’m also wondering whether the people of Cooroy are going to welcome this influx into their town (I stand corrected on the ‘village’. I get so used to places like Noosa Junction calling themselves a village that I forget some places would rather be called a town).
Regarding population growth in Cooroy I seem to recall our new planning scheme puts most of the population growth into the coastal areas and little in the hinterland, so I think you’re probably stuck with a big influx of visitors not residents.
Perhaps the aged demographic doesn’t require a lot of financial assistance from Council (which makes them even more desirable as residents doesn’t it? They pay rates, provide employment and don’t cost much) but there is a need to make Noosa more aged friendly. Small things like attention to footpaths, access to parks and shopping centres, playgrounds for the elderly, more sitting options in public places, programmes in our libraries, gallery and sporting clubs. Our transport strategy seems to be about giving priority to cycling and scooters. Are we excluding the elderly? Do we need to make special parking provisions for older residents?
My two bobs worth is that Noosa needs to embrace its retirement destination status and make sure everyone knows it’s aged friendly.
I think you’d be surprised at the population growth in the hinterland. As the coast gets more congested, those looking for a quieter lifestyle are moving away from the coast. Cooroy has an explosion of new housing developments and house prices are rising like they are on the coast. As we both agree, it’s the infrastructure that has to catch up.
And I certainly agree with your two bob’s worth about embracing Noosa as a retirement destination, and taking all efforts to make it aged friendly should be considered and implemented. And sure, spread the word about this. It’s not like old folks are just coming here to die. People are settling here in their 50s or 60s and living another 20 or 30 years. That’s the modern medical era for you, and aren’t we lucky to be a part of it!
Doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game.
Plus: Accessibility and good public transport are good for everybody.
Judy, I just LOVE your illustrations with your posts, they are so quirky.
With regards to Noosa catering for retirees, I’d like to see a more inclusive community catering for both young and old, and everything in between. One of the things I found really sad through my experiences with Boomerang Bags was the lack of maker spaces that welcome all – no young male will, for example, be made to feel extremely welcome at the Men’s Shed. And for women, well we ain’t getting no shed at all…
When we started off with the pop-up shops in Noosa Junction, it provided a space where young and old could learn new skills while supporting a worthy cause. I didn’t realise it at the time, but it managed to fill a gap in our community left largely by the separation of family units. As a society, we’ve lost the incidental learning we used to get from parents and grandparents. I loved seeing some of the older volunteers spend time with young people, showing them how to sew and teaching them the tricks of the trade.
When we then had to find a more permanent location and after a lengthy search settled on Wallace House, we lost our connection with young people. I used to get a group of about ten high school seniors every week and didn’t realise that Wallace House was an adult only zone which would exclude these students. How do we get young people to respect the elderly if they never get to do anything fun with them? How do we show them that retirees can teach them valuable skills, and that a more inclusive society makes us all stronger? They say it takes a village to raise a child – it also takes a village to look after our elderly.
Although the playground sounds excessively expensive, I do hope that it will provide a space where retirees can take their visiting families and grandkids for a great day out. And I hope in future planning we can incorporate spaces that are more welcoming to all.
Thanks for the comments Desire (and for liking the drawings). The more I talk to people about the playground the more I understand it might be a good thing, but like Rod I worry that the infrastructure is not there in Cooroy to support a large influx of visitors. And I agree with you about an inclusive community, but too often I see derogatory terminology used when referring to older residents and an assumption that a younger population is more desirable. We need to face the realities of where we live. It is primarily a holiday destination and the qualities that make it a prime holiday destination also make it a prime retirement destination. It can be diverse and inclusive but it’s probably always going to have a preponderance of older people, so why not embrace this and put facilities and policies in place that enhance the living of active and independent older people? Why does our Council put digital jobs ahead of the retirement industry as a key economic driver? I think our transport strategies ignore the needs of older people who cannot and should not be cycling.
I don’t think it’s true that young males are not welcome at the Men’s Shed. I know there are several younger members, they just don’t turn up very often, but when they do I know the members there are anxious to provide the sort of passing on of skills and knowledge you refer to.
The adults only rule at Wallace House is possibly historical, but it may also be to do with occupational health and safety. I take your point about the need for interchange, but there’s also a need for older people to have spaces they ‘own’, just as there are spaces ‘owned’ by children.
I’m hoping the makerspaces in the library at Cooroy and the refurbished Noosa Library will provide a place for the interchange of skills between generations.
Ideally, our community should cater for, and welcome, all age groups, but statistics tell us we have an older demographic. I really don’t think there’s a lot council can do about this, and while IT hubs and mega playgrounds are both fine places to fund, attracting a population age mix depends on lots of factors. These include well-paid employment options that younger workers, those likely to have kids, will come here for. The tourism industry, unfortunately, is not one of these industries.
So, older folks will continue to flock to Noosa for the reasons mentioned here and they certainly deserve Council support.
Hi Judy, thanks for your always thoughtful responses – these interchanges are in themselves a passing on of skills between generations and it’s always good to get your perspectives – yours too Rod.
As a working mum with two teenage daughters, I have been extremely fortunate to have a flexible employer and work in a profession that allows me to work from home, no matter where I live. I see more and more people able to enjoy this flexibility, which means more younger to middle aged people will be able to live here and contribute to the local economy.
I have heard a couple of incidences of younger males wanting to join a men’s shed who told me they didn’t feel welcome, but who knows, there could be a multitude of reasons why it didn’t work for them and I am sure there are older men who would like to pass on their skills to the younger generation. I shouldn’t generalise.
One of the best things that I took away from the Boomerang Bags experience was the connections I made with the older ladies – with my mum still living in South Africa, these ladies filled that vacuum to a degree. It was also lovely when she did then come and visit, that she got to meet them all and it made her stay so much more enjoyable.
With regards to cycling – in many European countries you see even older people ride bikes. If Noosa had well connected cycle-ways separate from cars and buses, electric bikes will make it possible for retirees to get on their bikes for their daily commutes too. I bought an e-bike about a year ago and absolutely love getting around on it. Now I can keep up with my kids with no sweat. I even overtake dudes in lycra sometimes 🙂