To the Board of the South Bank Corporation

We request you to explore the return and revamp of Brisbane’s iconic Skyneedle to its home of South Bank. In the location where it currently stands, it is destined for a sad and lonely future where its 'icon' potential is unrealised.  

We ask that you:

1. Explore acquiring the Skyneedle at a fair price or replacement sculpture, negotiated respectfully with its current stewards.
2. Investigate returning it to a prominent riverside location, e.g. near the Wheel of Brisbane (see our mockup image of how good it would look on our website www.save-our-skyneedle.com.au)
3. Revamp the Skyneedle with a 21st-century glow-up, i.e. install spectacular LED lighting, maybe chuck some lasers on it...Basically make it an interesting feature of the South Bank skyline once more. Doing so will also give events like Brisbane Festival and 'On the Banks' a striking new piece of decore.
4. Include the new revamped Skyneedle in Brisbane's nightly civic lighting program so it can be lit up along with all the bridges and other landmarks (e.g. King George Square, Parliament House, etc.)
5. On very special occasions (~3x a year), allow the Skyneedle's famous beam to shine again, such as on Riverfire night or when there is a sporting or cultural achievement to celebrate.

WHY DOES IT NEED OUR HELP?

The Skyneedle once shone proudly across Brisbane as the world came to our city for Expo ’88. Following its original salvation by a local powerboat champion hairdresser, the Skyneedle was saved for the Kurilpa community. However, 38 years later it now stands on Manning Street in South Brisbane, increasingly hidden among surrounding buildings. BCC recently approved (A006879997) it be boxed in by further high-rise development nearby.

This petition is not against the development, or the addition of new housing stock. However, the Skyneedle deserves better than a sad, pathetic end  where it is lost and obscured by high-rise buildings.

One of the wonderful things about living in inner-city Brisbane is seeing the Skyneedle peeping out throughout your day. As density has grown, the community has lost this daily joy. Moreover, the current position on Manning Street (surrounded by apartments) prevents the Skyneedle having some interesting lighting. The accumulation of all this means the Skyneedle has lost its mojo  - and this new high-rise development approval marks the end of the Skyneedle as a visible Brisbane landmark.

BUT WHAT WOULD IT COST?

This is a remarkably ideal moment to investigate this proposal because planning for the "Future South Bank Master Plan" is underway. That creates an opportunity to properly examine the engineering, stability and heritage requirements involved in relocating the Skyneedle to the Cultural Forecourt or another suitable riverside location.

The lead-up to the Olympics also provides additional impetus to revitalise Brisbane and lean into our civic icons before the world returns in 2032. A city cannot simply invent an icon in a tourism board committee room. An icon must emerge organically and tell a story about who we are. The Skyneedle represents Queensland's ultimate coming-of-age moment. It is retro-futurist, unique, eye-catching and uniquely Brisbane. 

This is an intergenerational imperative lest we lose a gnarly and unique piece of our history to obscurity. Sign today x

**About Us**
The Next Gen Skyneedle Collective is a youth-led grassroots movement. Our members have contributed to Brisbane's creative arts community for more than a decade and we love this city. Although most of us were too young to remember Expo '88, we recognise how momentous it was and we are seeking to build an intergenerational celebration of Expo ’88 and the moment Brisbane found its self-confidence.

Sign this petition to bring the Skyneedle home, give it the glow-up it deserves and make it something all Queenslanders can feel proud of once again.