Latest news with #Buderim
ABC News
6 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
E-scooter injuries at Sunshine Coast Hospital trigger calls for ban
Parents and public health experts are calling for e-scooters to be banned for young people, with Australian-first figures highlighting the huge number of children injured or maimed while riding. The report, published today in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, is the first to measure the number and severity of e-scooter injuries affecting Australian children. It found that almost two children aged five to 15 were brought into Sunshine Coast University Hospital every week for two years. One of them was 11-year-old Gavin Boldt. Angela Boldt said an e-scooter nearly killed her son Gavin last year. On July 11, Ms Boldt picked Gavin and his 17-year-old brother up from school and dropped them home, at Buderim, before leaving to buy some groceries. "He said, 'Mum can I go for a quick scooter ride around the neighbourhood?' and we live in a cul-de-sac and it's very very safe," she said. "I said sure, 'Just make sure to pop your helmet on.'" About 20 minutes later her eldest son called saying Gavin was not moving after being thrown from his e-scooter. Ms Boldt, a nurse, had her son send her a photo to help her gauge the severity of the injuries. She said he was flown to Brisbane where doctors had to cut pieces out of his head in life-saving brain surgery. "He's got metal plates to keep his skull back," she said. Researchers recorded 176 e-scooter injuries in children and teens aged five to 15 at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital in 2023 and 2024. The average age of riders was 14 and most were male. The study one in 10 e-scooter injuries were life-threatening or potentially life-threatening, while 37 per cent of cases involved a broken bone. Riders in about 42 per cent of cases were not wearing a helmet and 36 per cent involved speeds faster than 25 kilometres per hour. One in eight cases were collisions with cars. Queensland laws allow children aged 12 to 15 to ride e-scooters if they are supervised by an adult. Speeds should be limited to 25kph on roads and 12kph on pedestrian walkways. Helmets are required and two riders (doubling) is forbidden. Lead author Matthew Clanfield, who also worked at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital during the study period, said he was concerned. "We would see a child or teen attend the emergency department with an e-scooter injury every few days," he said. Dr Clanfield said scooters were the reason for one in 30 emergency visits for 14-year-olds during the study period. "A lot of the parents attending were extremely upset to see their child hospitalised and weren't aware how risky e-scooters can be or the legal requirement for supervision under 16," he said. The research follows news the Queensland government will hold a public inquiry into e-scooters. Queensland and ACT are the only two states that allow e-scooter use for those under 16 years. Dr Clanfield said he wanted anyone under 16 to be banned from riding e-scooters until safety measures were improved. Public Health Association of Australia chief executive Terry Slevin said e-scooters were a public health and safety concern across Australia, and regulation had failed to keep pace. Nine months on from his crash, Ms Boldt said Gavin was still not quite himself. "He had a large blood clot after his accident … having your 11-year-old at risk of a stroke if he gets bumped was part of our real life experience." Ms Boldt said she had seen young boys on e-scooters riding on busy Sunshine Coast roads faster than her car, without helmets, and doubling. "The speeds should be decreased and locked," she said. "There should be age limits and helmet requirements."
News.com.au
23-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Second chance to own Sunshine Coast prize home
A Sunshine Coast prize home will go to the highest bidder after its winners decided to pass on the luxury property. Overwhelmed by their multimillion-dollar win, the owners kept renting in Western Sydney and working fulltime as weighbridge operators. The contemporary four-bedroom, two-bathroom home at 278 Mooloolaba Rd, Buderim, was the major prize in a Surf Life Saving Lottery drawn in September 2024. Dubbed, 'Hilltop Haven', the prize was valued at $2m including furnishings. The property last sold for $1.8m in 2023. It is marketed by McGrath agents Glenn McIntosh and Chris Pace and will go under the hammer on May 24. Winners Mana and Tracy Raeina, of Liverpool, said they were stunned to learn they had won, at first thinking the news was a prank. 'When we first walked through the doors to the beautiful home and the awesome view it was really overwhelming for me and the family,' Mr Raeina said. 'I've been in Sydney for a very long time where the traffic is so heavy, everyone is in a rush and you never have time to even have a conversation with anyone. 'It is a totally different atmosphere on the Sunshine Coast. The location and the beach are so beautiful and the people are laidback.' But despite the appeal, the family continued their old lives while they pondered what to do, eventually deciding to return to their native Cook Islands to enjoy an early retirement. 'My wife and I, we had our dreams already planned and we decided to sell the house. We wanted to build a home back in the islands and doing a 9 to 5 job would take us a very long time to get there. 'It will be a lifestyle that my family and I have been looking forward to for a very long time, and we are definitely ready to retire.' Mr McIntosh said the owners were a devout family who had invited their pastor to the home, where they engaged in prayer for guidance following their incredible win. 'They are very simple people who have never experienced this sort of wealth before,' Mr McIntosh said. He described Buderim as a 'jewel' of the stunning Sunshine Coast. 'Up here, it is like a sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle.' The home on an elevated 782 sqm block has open-plan living zones flowing onto a large alfresco deck with a barbecue area and wide coastal views, overlooking the pool. PropTrack data shows the median house price in Buderim was up 5.8 per cent to a median of $1.275m.
