REMEMBER WHEN

GOLD COAST BULLETIN Thursday, January 1, 2004

A TEENAGER was injured by an illegal firecracker as reckless youths tarnished New Year’s celebrations at Coolangatta.

The 18-year-old Tweed Heads girl was walking along Greenmount Point just before 9pm when she was hit by the firecracker, sustaining burns to her legs.

Detective Inspector Jim Keogh slammed the ‘foolhardy’ behaviour, which again brought Coolangatta’s reputation under the spotlight.

Violence had marred the town already during the school holidays, including a vicious bashing of a young man and an attack on the fair at Queen Elizabeth Park.

“It’s very foolhardy to do this sort of thing,” said Det-Insp Keogh. “We will be prosecuting if we find out who is responsible.”

Illegal fireworks could be heard up and down the stretch of beach throughout the night, but otherwise locals and visitors alike ended the year in style.

The southern end’s unique double celebration was a tradition among the folk of Tweed and Coolangatta. Apart from an initial daylight saving trial in the early 1970s and another following a referendum in 1992, Queensland had remained an hour behind the Tweed, enabling a double celebration of New Year.

It is the one time every year when border residents put daylight saving confusion behind them.

Kids and families were given their taste of the main event with a special 9pm fireworks display, ahead of the midnight main event.

The popular Jack Evans Boat Harbour fireworks were not staged.