McDermott Aviation CEO voices fear for future pilot training at Teewah

The state government wants the Noosa Council to “relinquish” a landing strip at Teewah that was critical in the 2019 bushfires as an aviation boss vents about the move.

An aviation businessman is hoping “common sense” prevails as the state government takes back Teewah land for national park, which leaves a cloud over a critical evacuation hub and training ground.

Noosa Council is the trustee of the Noosa North Shore Landing Ground Reserve about 3km south of Teewah and 2km northeast of the ‘third cutting’ Teewah Beach access.

Council documents showed the Department of Environment and Science wants the council to “relinquish trusteeship of the reserve” so it can integrate the land into surrounding national park.

The infrastructure on the site includes three grass runways and two hangars.

McDermott Aviation chief executive John McDermott said the business had used the Teewah land for training for years.

The Noosa North Shore Landing Ground Reserve.

Two community sporting clubs, the Sunshine Coast Sports Aviators and the Noosa Model Flyers, also use the site.

In a letter to the council, Mr McDermott stated that land formed a “small but essential” component of the preparation of air crews and aircraft in the business’s emergency services work.

An aerial view of the Noosa North Shore Landing Ground Reserve.

“We use the area in the immediate vicinity of the strip around 20 times a year with very infrequent touchdown landings although the strip does provide for a safety emergency landing area in the event of something going wrong during training,” he stated.

Mr McDermott said his pilots needed open areas in which to conduct the training.

“Clear areas like that with no people underneath are few and far between,” he said.

“That’s a place we do practise and if we can’t practise the community will be impacted.”

McDermott Aviation chief executive John McDermott.

He also said the business had a good relationship with the Department of Parks and Wildlife.

“If someone with common sense gets it then that’s fine,” Mr McDermott said.

Mr McDermott’s letter also stated that the landing strip was used as a “staging post” for aircraft and evacuations during the 2019 bushfires.

Noosa councillors, during a December 15 meeting, voted to allow the council’s chief executive Scott Waters to write to the Department of Resources to show that the council “supports the relinquishment” of the trusteeship.

Water bombing helicopters arrive at the Noosa North Shore and Cooroibah during the 2019 bushfires. Photo: Jacob Friend

The councillors also requested the Department of Environment and Science consulted the community and the affected sports clubs on its plans for the land, and that it considered the feedback already submitted by the clubs and by Mr McDermott.

In council documents, the Department of Environment and Science stated a significant portion of the landing ground reserve was critical habitat for the eastern ground parrot and was also important for the migratory wader and the wallum frog.

The department also stated that the “existing access trail and cleared airstrips within the reserve” provided “no viable” opportunity for wildfire response or management due to its isolated location.

A Department of Environment and Science spokesman said the Department of Resources had advised it would “progress the appointment” of his department as the new trustee, in consultation with the council.

“DES has committed to undertaking consultation over the future use and day-to-day management and maintenance of the reserve, including its future tenure arrangements,” he said.

Questions about the future of the landing strip were unanswered.