At a Gala evening on May 9, at the Maroochy River Golf Club, the Sunshine Coast Police will be 
acknowledged for their great contribution to our community and 6 finalists will be recognised for their professional excellence and dedication. Every individual recognised as an award nominee or recipient has helped the Police Force to remain strong and effective by forging a diverse range of partnerships with individuals, community groups, and fellow law enforcement agencies.
There may be some familiar faces at these awards. For those who attend RYDA you may recognise Senior Constable Mark Ginges.
Police officers in our community really do "make a difference" and these awards recognise outstanding acts of courage, compassion, understanding and devotion to duty provided by police officers at the local level. So come along and show your support for our police and our fellow Rotarians who are organising this event.
The Smart Centre and Living Lab showcases real-time results and examples of the smart city technology currently being tested. The technologies were looking at ways to create a sustainable city via Smart lighting, Smart parking, a Smart regional management platform, Smart waste, Smart water, and Smart Wi-Fi. This incorporated things like parking apps which alerts motorists of available car parks, free high speed public Wi-Fi, transport information to direct traffic to the least busy route, environmental water sensors providing data in real time which link irrigation systems to weather forecasts, and rubbish bins that sense when they need emptying.
Terese Finegan, Downtown Caloundra Curator, is coming to speak at the meeting this week to discuss the Sunshine Coast Council's plans for Caloundra including the incorporation of a Heritage Centre. As you may have heard, to get the project up and running there is a plan to reinvent the Transit Centre as an Arts and Heritage hub, with the introduction of “Caloundra Greeters”. This is a chance for our club to be involved early in the project as we showcase Caloundra and heighten the profile of Rotary. Please come to the meeting to hear about the exciting changes in Caloundra, and if you are interested, how you can be involved, and bring any other interested parties. Also a reminder that there is potential for partnership with the Rotary Club of Caloundra, so President Peter Davis and Director of Community Services James Condon will also attend.
