Why Open Noosa exists
The purpose of Open Noosa is to enable citizens, whether they live in Noosa Shire or live elsewhere and are interested in it, to make a positive contribution to the story of this community, its activities and civic affairs and the issues and challenges it faces.
And first we acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we live. Open Noosa honours the Gubbi Gubbi elders past, present and emerging and recognises the strength, resilience and capacity of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The beauty of Noosa’s natural environment since time immemorial was such that, even after many Gubbi Gubbi people were displaced and even when timber-getting, farming and fishing diminished greatly in importance, our Shire continued to prosper.
Tourism emerged to provide an economic foundation. Retirees, wanting an idyllic place to live, weren’t far behind. Developers followed and were compelled, after some struggles, to respect its heritage and beauty.
Just as the original indigenous peoples had cared for Noosa, eventually so did their successors. There were far-sighted people in the 1960s and thereafter who understood that the environment was not only an enticement or an accompaniment for leisure but worthy in its own right. They fought hard to ensure the Shire retained and, where it had been scarred, improved upon its natural inheritance.
The future: A conversation we need to have
Today there are few people who want any diminution of what Noosa has become. Its citizens are passionate about conserving what we have and adopting a balanced approach to change. But, beyond that, there is no agreed community vision for Noosa. The future is ill-defined. There is no discussion or debate about Noosa 20 years hence.
Without doubt this is required. We need to agree about what kind of community we are, what we want to be, how that should be structured and what is the best means of achieving it.
Open Noosa believes this conversation must be had and that it must be open and inclusive. We believe no one has a mortgage on it. It is a matter for the whole community. And we know that social media channels can provide useful means of encouraging and recording continuing participation by citizens in this process.
Already Facebook provides a popular and robust form of engagement in Noosa affairs, offering opportunities for lightning fast discourse, an intermingling of fact, fiction and opinion, and, unfortunately, at times a mechanism for rapid fire abuse.
Open Noosa, using the blog format, is somewhat different. It is intended to complement social media like Facebook and Twitter by providing opportunities for more considered writing which can provide a better understanding of Noosa today and, we hope, make a substantial contribution to shaping its future.
This does not mean Open Noosa is devoid of criticism, investigation or exposure, which are required for a proper appreciation of who we are. But it does mean this blog – taken overall – seeks to be fair, balanced, honest and open to all of us.
Ideology & content
Open Noosa has no ideological stance. What it publishes can be argued from any point of view the author chooses.
We publish articles, essays, stories and other writing as well as art, photography and design on subjects of historical, contemporary and future interest to Noosa.
Our ambit is broad and covers matters such as the indigenous legacy, the environment, economic development, social problems, local politics, urban development, land use, housing, tourism, surf culture, arts and crafts…. and much more.
Open Noosa invites people who have something to say on any subject to submit articles for publication and we invite readers to comment on the material we publish. All contributions are subject to normal editorial processes, which means they may be edited and refined for publication. We do not edit for bias but for style, fact, respect and legality.
Unfortunately, we cannot pay for contributions at this point, although all material will remain the property of the originator.
Our editorial team
Open Noosa is produced by Bettina Walter, Desiré Gralton and a group of friends sharing an interest in inclusive civic life, fairness in human relationships and free cultural expression. If you wish to join us in this project, we welcome an indication of your interest.
