It’s not just Bearded Dragons scaring the b-Jesus out of island residents right now … transmission of COVID-19 is now widespread throughout Queensland – we take a peek at some of the ways our famously resilient, community minded island of kind people can surf this wave together.

Just in time for weekend reading the digital version of CIN’s January Issue is available to view and download: https://coochieislandnews.com/online-editions/

The print version is at Curlew Cafe, Coochiemudlo Island Beach Bar and Seminara Apartments and will be at all mainland outlets later today and our gym/Men’s Shed from Tuesday.

So much talent on such a tiny isle! Thanks to our fabulous contributors who shared their news, views, and writing talents! Please support our sponsor Bay Island Transport for their magnificent longstanding support of this newspaper. Darren & Louise Gearing, we love your community spirit! We particularly love our front colour page which pops! Thank you for your support.

Thank you to each of our advertisers for your community focus. We grow businesses and we love having you on board.  Huge thanks to our growing band of community-focused advertisers booking and paying for ads 12 months advance – THANK YOU Angela Hoskins (Site Content), Craig Carter (Coochie Contractors), Kerry Burton (Team Solomon Estate Agents), Matt Bufalino (Bufalino Builders), Ian and Christine Hart (Coochiemudlo Island Beach Bar), and Steven Shelley, Shelley Contracting! Awesome support!

Thanks to each and every advertiser in CIN, and the businesses allowing us to distribute CIN on their premises. We love you!  BIG THANKS to subeditor Helen Symes for her fast professional work. And thank you dear readers – without you reading, there would be no reason to have a paper.

We’re facing challenges for sure in 2022 but we’ve tried to keep CIN positive and inspiring… We’ve got a big feature on the Coochie Bus (what a joy it is to fall into it after a hard day at work weighed down by shopping bags!) and we feature two important turtle stories – a turtle rescue with a happy ending and what you can do to help save turtles in the bay). We celebrate Rosie and Jeanette’s Sharing the Dignity campaign; introduce an island volunteer; interview a local artist new to our island making extraordinarily lifelike paper plants; Ben Lewis is On the Deck in a great interview, plus health matters, tips on how to improve your approach to intimacy and solitude, Adaire’s boating update, tips for fishing in paradise, Golf Club news, a film review, poetry and a gorgeous Two of Us – How We Met story that will melt your heart. Whew! What a lively community on such a tiny island!

Thanks for supporting Coochie Island News. It means a lot to this community.

Have a lovely weekend! Be safe and stay well!

Rachael xx