The Bugle 23 April 2016
A fortnightly celebration of people and places on the Upper South Coast of NSW
Serving the communities of Kiama, Gerringong, Jamberoo, Kiama Downs, Minnamurra and Gerroa and now at www.thebugleonline.com
What future for Kiama
in a merged council? This edition features a homage to the Boston Globe, which recently ran a front page from an imagined future should Donald Trump become President. To the right is our view on how life in Kiama will change should the merger with Shoalhaven Council go ahead. Some think the merger won’t affect them, but it will. Local councils provide grassroots services and they are the ones that people come into contact with every day. Councillor Dennis Seage is strongly opposed to the forced merger proposal, and initiated the motion to hold a poll on the issue. Voting in the poll is not compulsory and the result is not binding. So why should people be bothered to vote? Dennis knows why. “This is our last chance,” he says. “The writing is on the wall and the only thing that will stop it is people power. “We can’t just sit back and say we’ve done our best; the decision is already made. We have to keep up our fight in every way. “The poll is going to show how strongly we feel about our community and our future. Any government that ignores that does so at their peril. “We have proved to the Government that we have always had the financial standards that it wants, but that might not be enough to get us over the line given the lack of logic in the process. We need to show conclusively that we want to remain a self-governing community.” As for those concerned about the cost, which has been revised down to $106,261 from an estimated $140,000, he says $6.30 per ratepayer is a small price to pay. “If the worst happens and the merger goes ahead it will be $100k less to give Mayor Gash to fix her trainwreck down there,” he says. He urges everyone to get out and vote NO.
The Bugle
Inside this issue Boat explodes in Harbour p3
A fortnightly celebration of people and places on the Upper South Coast of NSW Serving the communities of Kiama, Gerringong, Jamberoo, Kiama Downs, Minnamurra and Gerroa and now at www.thebugleonline.com
April 2019
Proceeds from sale of Blue Haven to fund kerbs and gutters down south A confidential Shoalhaven City Council report has revealed that the proceeds from last year’s sale of the Blue Haven retirement complex have been earmarked to pay for long overdue infrastructure work in the south of the LGA. The backload of projects which will now go ahead includes road repairs, replacing bridges and installing kerbs and gutters. “The windfall needs to be used where most needed,” says the report. Blue Haven, developed and managed by Kiama Council before the merger, was sold to a private aged care operator for a reported $100 million. Despite Blue Haven not having cost ratepayers a cent, and paying council a healthy dividend each year, the newly merged Council said “it has no experience in aged care operations”.
Pools to close for winter p6
Award for Sue Granger-Holcombe p3
Mayor to visit Kiama next week p3
The sale of the operation did not affect the rights of the current residents, most of whom own their units. Residents have, however, reported to The Bugle that life under the new ownership is not the same as before. “You can just notice that the little things are being cut back,” said one. “Council had the whole of Blue Haven Care to provide extra services, but now that has gone too.”
No ANZAC March again this year After struggling again to persuade Shoalhaven Council to provide the assistance needed to stage a traditional ANZAC Day March in Kiama, the local RSL organisation has admitted defeat. “It has been a blow to the town not to be able to continue with the March, but there is no way that a small branch such as ours can
afford the traffic management and event Petition to bring staging costs,” says Dennis Seage. back green bins p5 “I warned people that Shoalhaven Council didn’t contribute to the Nowra March, but people didn’t believe it would happen here.”
Kiama loses WHO Healthy Cities status p7
Wings over the Illawarra set to soar p4
Breastfeeding Friendly Kiama launch p 14