Peter Gardiner is dedicated to keeping the Noosa community informed

Over the years Peter Gardiner and the Noosa News team have been on the frontline of community battles like the Noosa de-amalgamation and the Kin Kin quarry and trucks saga.

After almost three decades of covering Noosa's goings on Peter Gardiner is still determined to cover the issues that matter most to his local community.

I grew up with a love of current affairs and the local newspaper was always my first port of call, racing my parents of an early morning to be the first to pick it up from the lawn to read the headlines.

Keeping readers up to date with the latest events that impact their lives has always been a driving force in my 29 years of reporting local news and events on the Sunshine Coast, based mostly out of Noosa.

I love informing them of council and development goings on and have relished being on the frontline of community battles like the Noosa de-amalgamation, where we were seen as a major “voice” of the community.

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From my early days as Queensland Times cadet in Ipswich my passion for playing and covering sport (including reporting at the Brisbane Commonwealth Games) has mixed well with my other major interest – covering local and state politics.

I still vividly recall the toppling of the Sir Joh National Party era after 32 years in power back in 1989.

Friends of Noosa celebrate the de-amalgamation victory with hundreds of supporters outside Council Chambers. Photo Geoff Potter

I’ve always enjoyed feeling a strong sense of community through playing and reporting on rugby league, including Alfie Langer’s State of Origin debut.

I’ve also served as a volunteer lifesaver at Coolum Beach for almost a quarter of a century.

There’s no better job satisfaction than being the first to break the news about something that is important to my community and then following through on its impacts.

I’ve been part of the coverage of the Kin Kin quarry operation protests and court challenges. More than decade later, I’m reporting regularly on the impact of those quarry trucks on the Noosa hinterland community.

Likewise I have been covering the Noosa River chemical contamination fears since 2009 and only last week did the latest update based on the latest dioxin level findings.

Staying in for the long haul to keep you all informed is the real pay off. And best of all, while being kept up to date by our local digital editions of the Noosa News and Sunshine Coast Daily, I still love picking up my home delivery of The Courier Mail off the front lawn every day.

Originally published as Peter Gardiner is dedicated to keeping the Noosa community informed