Published by LOCALS for LOCALS Thursday, January 12, 2023 CODE
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‘Stay-of-execution’
Yourdamung Resort battles fire risk claims
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THE proposed Yourdamung Road resort project is back before Collie Shire Council. Council rejected the proposal in late 2021 because of perceived “catastrophic fire risks”, but it was given a “stay-of-execution” at the last shire meeting. Councillors decided to go against a recommendation to refuse an application to expand use of the site and deferred the matter to allow staff to work through legislation issues with the proponents and the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES). The decision was made after a consultant for the proponent, Russell Tierney, said there had been changes made to the access and egress requirements since last year. DFES had been and was still against the proposal due to the bushfire risk. Mr Tierney had appealed to the State Administration Tribunal (SAT) to overturn council’s decision in December, 2021, and had worked through media-
Jackson Rabaud is believed to have achieved Collie’s highest ATAR score, and will study pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of Western Australia later this year. Story page 7
Suspected arsonist active
A NUMBER of fires are believed to have been deliberately lit, including one that threatened the home of a family of five. Page 3.
tion sessions about legislation requirements concerning the fire risk. The site is located in State forest, and there is only one access route via a gravel road. DFES had estimated it could take up to 45 minutes to evacuate the site in the event of a bushfire. An amendment suggested in the new application was for a building to be altered to become a shelter. One of the objections to this was that a shelter was supposed to be a vacant building, whereas the proposed building was to also be used for a variety of purposes, and furnished accordingly. Chief executive officer Stuart Devenish said the matter is “complex and difficult to resolve”. “Council is in a very unenviable position,” he said. “While it is seeking to expand tourism opportunities, it cannot ignore the legislative requirements for bushfire risk.” Story continued page 8.
Quarry ‘ideal venue for events’
THE success of the Quarry Under the Stars gala dinner, held last October, has led to a move to have further events at the venue. Page 5.
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COLLIE RIVER VALLEY EDITION No. 115
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COLLIE RIVER VALLEY BULLETIN, FEBRUARY 9, 2023 3
River is slowly dying THE Collie River is being choked by introduced trees and slowly dying, according to two local river conservationists. Dennis True and Ed Riley believe the health of the river needs to be addressed, if Collie is to welcome recreational tourism to its waterways. “It looks terrible,” Mr True said. “We’re promoting tourists to our town, and they’re looking at fallen trees. “The river downstream of Soldiers’ Park is brown, and the river upstream of Soldiers’ Park near the swinging bridge is in the exact same condition.” Mr True said the brown water was obviously caused by a chemical reaction in the river ecosystem. “We don’t know what causes it, but the river should be a greeny colour,” he said. “There was none of this sort of stuff in the river when I was a kid.” Mr Riley said introduced trees have shallow root systems and cause problems when they fall into the river. “Our natural trees contributed to the food chain,” he said. “When we cleared the river in 1964 after the floods, those native trees were cleared away too. “We lost the natural tree canopy, which provided shade to the river and, if a tree fell, it provided a habitat. “After we knocked down all the natives, we went silly with introduced species - such as wattles and eastern state
eucalypts. These introduced species pollute the water, and they don’t provide an effective form of habitat, or a source of food. “They are trapping silts and toxicity, gases and all sorts of things. The river cannot function properly.” Mr Riley said it was ridiculous to think tourists would be able to use the river for recreation. “Swimming, canoes, kayaks - how are you going to get people in there?” he said. “It is not visually attractive. The criticism from locals is fine, but when tourists are talking about it, it is time to do something about the problem.” Mr Riley’s friend, Jack Walsh, recently wrote to the Collie Shire about the state of the river after he visited Collie. He also wrote a Letter to the Editor, which featured in the Bulletin’s January 12 edition. He did not receive a response from the shire. Mr Walsh lives in Perth and was previously a councillor for the City of Cottesloe. He spent much of his childhood in Collie, swimming in the river. He visited Collie in December last year for the first time since 1956. After seeing the state of the river, he recently told Mr Riley he wouldn’t “even dip a toe in the river” in its current state. In his Letter to the Editor, Mr Walsh wrote, “I despair for the once magnificent
Collie River, with both local and state governments seemingly uninterested in its slow death”. Collie Shire acting chief executive officer Matt Young said the shire received a “very brief” email from Mr Walsh. “He expressed his concern regarding the state of the river where he had spent much of his childhood swimming, boating and fishing,” he said. Mr Young said the shire has an adopted Collie River Revitalisation Strategy (CRRS), which is overseen by GFG Consulting. “GFG Consulting were responsible for developing the current CRRS 2018-2022 plan and the team is involved in reviewing and updating this plan as a guiding document for the next five years,” he said. “The evaluation of the river health from a water quality and weed perspective is a key component of this review. “The project will take a few more months to complete, with key agency and community consultation commencing this week.” Mr Young said he acknowledges that a
number of non-endemic tree species have fallen into the river. “A response to how this is best managed will also form part of the strategy review,” he said. “The purpose of the review of the CRRS is to update the document to reflect the changes impacting the river and its banks since its publication, and to create a shared vision for the river into the future. “This includes all aspects of the river and banks, focusing particularly on the stretch of river within the town. This is defined as just above Lynn Street bridge to below Mungalup Road bridge.”
Snappy fix to problems MEMBERS of the public are reminded to report local incidents through the “Snap, Send, Solve” mobile phone app. The app is used to report public problems such as graffiti, trip hazards or rubbish to the Shire of Collie. Users can take a photo of a problem and send it directly to the shire for resolution. Acting chief executive officer Matt Young said most incidents reported through the app are fixed within 24 hours. “The app works well from our perspective,” he said. “It is really good in terms of providing a specific location, as well as a photograph so we can see the scale of the problem and its severity.” Once an incident is recorded, Mr Young said an email is sent to the relevant staff member within the shire. “The app is available 24/7, and no matter when the matter is sent through, it will come directly through to us and we can take action as soon as possible,” he said. However, Mr Young said it was important to remember emergencies should be reported to police, and problems such as wandering dogs are better directed to the ranger. “Photos of wandering dogs are helpful in identifying repeat offenders,” he said.
REPORT A PROBLEM: Collie Shire acting chief executive officer Matt Young encourages locals to use the Snap, Send, Solve app to report local incidents. Mr Young said the app recently was instrumental in moving on an unlawful camper, and maintenance at Minningup Pool. “We received a report that there were no locks on the toilet doors, so we were able to have locks fitted within the same day,” he said. The Snap, Send, Solve app can be downloaded from your phone’s application store.
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