POWER 100: The 20 moments that defined 2018
As we prepare to unveil this year's Power 100 list of our most influential people it's timely to revisit the events which shaped the region over the past year.
Sunshine Coast
Don't miss out on the headlines from Sunshine Coast. Followed categories will be added to My News.
AS WE prepare to unveil this year's Power 100 list of our most influential people it's timely to revisit the events which shaped the region over the past 12 months.
The Sunshine Coast has had the eyes of the nation, and the world, on us more than once this year.
Here's a look back at some of the most powerful moments that shook the region in 2018:
Lightning double up:
NAYSAYERS would declare it impossible for the first ever national sporting team to hail from the Sunshine Coast to win a title in its inaugural year.
The Sunshine Coast Lightning ladies sure proved them wrong.
But not many would've been brave enough to back them going back to back, especially after a tough start to the season.
By the end of August we were left in awe of their supreme talents as the Lightning went back-to-back to etch their names into Suncorp Super Netball history.
Submarine cable:
TECH heads were turned in September when it was announced the Sunshine Coast Council and RTI Connectivity would press on with a submarine broadband cable.
The 550km spur will hook us directly into Asia and the cable will be brought ashore at Maroochydore, with the connection to be built by 2020.
The cable will provide the region with Australia's fastest Asian connection and second-fastest to the US.
Road tragedies:
HUNDREDS of lives changed forever on March 28 when news broke that popular footballer Jade Dixson, 17, had died in a tragic car crash at Perwillowen.
The community could only marvel at the strength of the Dixson family, who reached out to the young man who'd been driving, before embarking on their own campaign for compulsory defensive driver training in schools.
Jade's death was one of several on Coast roads this year in what was a traumatic 12 months.
Crime sprees:
A SERIES of violent crime sprees dotted the region's copybook from August to October, as thieves, suspected to be from out of town, targeted homes and vehicles.
Luxury cars were targeted in Parrearra in September during a wild spree allegedly carried out by a group of youths which ended in a dramatic police intercept in South Brisbane.
In October a group of men labelled "gutless" by the region's top detective targeted Coast businesses with a tomahawk, terrorising teenage workers near Caloundra.
Sekisui succeeds:
AFTER almost half a decade of lobbying, revising plans and masses of public angst, Sekisui House had a breakthrough, winning approval for its Yaroomba Beach plans.
The decision was made despite more than 9200 submissions being made in opposition to the beachfront development set to deliver the Coast its newest five-star hotel.
In August Development Watch president Lynette Saxton vowed to appeal the council's approval.
Badderam gets up:
ANOTHER controversial development, Badderam Eco Luxe Resort and Spa, a five-star luxury resort planned for the Buderim escarpment, won council approval in April.
But the approval came too late to keep New South Wales investors and the search was now on to secure the $100 million investment needed to deliver the project.
Highway help coming:
THE congestion might still be chronic, but the fix is coming for Bruce Highway travellers.
It was another massive year in what is a long-awaited transport fix for the region, as work continued on the Caloundra Road to Sunshine Motorway stretch of the national highway.
Six-laning and a return to 110km/h speed limits await with works set to be finished by late-2020, weather permitting.
Sweet success:
A SOLD-out, 15,000 ticket event and a major industry award helped cement the Big Pineapple Music Festival as one of the country's finest in 2018.
The event was named the People's Choice for Best Festival at the 2018 Queensland Music Awards.
The festival, which started in 2013, held off a challenge from Woodford Folk Festival to win by four votes.
Beachside siege:
FOR more than a day heavily armed, specialist police surrounded an Alexandra Headland unit, with the eyes of the nation transfixed on the tense situation.
Holed up inside one of the apartments was Zlatko Sikorsky, the man charged with the murder of 16-year-old Larissa Beilby, whose body was found in a barrel in late-June.
It was a bizarre start to school holidays as police spent 27 hours negotiating the eventual peaceful arrest of Sikorsky.
Fundraising success:
RADIO personality Caroline Hutchinson had plenty of reasons to smile in 2018, after smashing some huge fundraising goals.
Their Give Me 5 For Kids campaign raised more than $600,000 in just a month this year for sick Coast children.
The enormous effort took their fundraising efforts to more than $5 million in almost 20 years of the campaign.
Rabbitohs hop on:
AFTER years of hosting successful pre-season trial matches Coast sports lovers finally got their wish with a proper-season NRL game headed our way.
The South Sydney Rabbitohs will play NRL games at Sunshine Coast Stadium in 2019, 2020 and 2021, with next season's Round 5 match against the New Zealand Warriors to grace the region on April 13.
Twin Waters shake-up:
A PROCESS started back in 2012 and thought to be completed in September, 2016, came to an end in a deal understood to have been worth about $100 million.
Shakespeare Group purchased Twin Waters Resort off owner Abacus Property Group, with the Daily reporting on June 30 that contracts had been signed.
Northern property boom:
A SINGAPORE-based co-founder of Equis Energy shelled out $18 million for a Webb Rd, Sunshine Beach property in what was a bumper year for northern Sunshine Coast sales.
Betty's Burgers and Concrete Co founders and restaurant entrepreneurs David and Louise Hales paid $15.2 million for Pat Rafter's Seaview Tce mansion.
In mid-October another $14 million stunner was sold in Belmore Tce, while Noosa also recorded a string of top-dollar deals.
Pro surfer Julian Wilson also had a contract placed on his Peregian Beach home for more than $4 million.
Rail on track:
A FEDERAL Government funding commitment in May of $390 million towards Sunshine Coast rail duplication shone light at the end of a long tunnel for tireless campaigners.
Coupled with business case funding for a high-speed rail link to Brisbane and beyond and $160 million in State Government funding for rail duplication and there was cause for hope.
Negotiations are ongoing to secure the remaining funding needed for rail duplication, but 2018 was a year of rare optimism when it came to major public transport.
Strawberry saga:
MULTI-generational family farms were floored in September when a strawberry contamination scare swept the industry.
Needles were found in a variety of brands based in the Caboolture and Wamuran areas.
The impact of the scare was widespread though, with local farmers sent to the wall as punters ditched punnets in droves for fear of swallowing a needle.
Currimundi shooting:
TWO Rebels bikies were charged with attempted murder and other serious offences after a 45-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to the stomach in the carpark of the Currimundi Markets.
Frank Nemcek, 56, and son Fabian, 26, were alleged to have been involved in the shooting, which happened in broad daylight on a Friday afternoon in October.
Their matters were adjourned until early-November for a bail application.
Aussie World reveal:
THE former Ettamogah Pub's facelift is well underway, as evidenced during a major reveal in October of the watering hole's new look.
The Pub at Aussie World is now a bright, coastal hub with wraparound verandahs and a bright blue roof.
The upstairs kitchen is being replaced as changes continue at one of the region's most visible tourism destinations.
Wilson's wins:
COOLUM surfing prodigy Julian Wilson's breakout year has left him in contention for a world title leading into the season-ending Billabong Pipe Masters in Hawaii in December.
Wilson notched up wins in the Quiksilver Pro at the Gold Coast and in France, and finished as runner-up in Uluwatu and third in Brazil.
Tied for second place with Filipe Toledo, the former Triple Crown winner will be gunning to take the title off current leader Gabriel Medina.
Norm and Jess:
COAST favourites Norm and Jess may not have won The Block, but they won plenty of fans across the nation.
The pair pocketed $209,000 for their efforts, despite finishing last in the auction.
A star is born:
HIS lifesaving pedigree was well known, but Alexandra Headland ironman Jett Kenny showed he was a star on the rise on the small screen too.
The chiselled athlete appeared on Australian Ninja Warrior and got his gear off on The Real Full Monty, but turned down the chance to appear on Love Island.
The future looks bright for the son of ironman legend Grant Kenny.
Young mum’s chemist ram raid before fiery stolen car crash
A Townsville mother has admitted to being involved in a crime spree stretching from North Queensland to Brisbane before it ended in a police chase and crash in the Noosa hinterland.
Top 30: Standout junior and senior cricketers of the round
It was one of the most impressive rounds of the season last weekend with a number of top shelf displays across the Sunshine Coast. See which players from all junior grades and the top three senior divisions cracked our rankings.