The Bugle 4 August 2018
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
No quick fix for managing beaches The good news is Kiama Council has received a grant to develop a comprehensive Coastal Management Plan. The bad news, for those hoping for clear direction over the best way to vegetate coastal dunes, is that the plan will take three years to develop. Further funding will then be needed to implement its recommendations, adding to the timeframe. The question is where will that leave the tensions that exist between those who have varying strongly-held views on how the foreshore should be managed in the interim, particularly at Jones Beach? These tensions have led to accusations of poisoning, which investigation have proved to be unfounded. “We need information to base our decisions on, so detailed studies and investigations of our coastal hazards and risks need to be undertaken in full before a strategy can emerge,” says Environment & Sustainability Officer, Byron Robinson. “Depending on the risks identified and the timeframes posed by hazards on different assets, the Plan will identify the things that will need to happen in the short term and long term.”
Rather than be limited to Jones and Werri beaches, as first mooted when concerns were raised about erosion there, the Plan will now take a holistic look at all of the LGA’s coastline from Minnamurra to Gerroa. “The Office of Environment & Heritage advised that, given the new coastal management legislation that is coming in, there would be efficiencies in running with the whole of the coast, as it has to be done anyway,” says Council’s Director Engineering & Works, Gino Belsito. “There will be a focus on Jones and Werri beaches, but the study is for the whole coastline.” Council is to receive a three year grant of $35,000 per year, which it will match dollar for dollar, to undertake the study. Back in January 2017, The Bugle reported that a group of concerned residents, supported by Councillor Mark Way, had formed Beach Care in response to uncontrolled vegetation impacting negatively on the area. This lobby group appears to have disbanded, with a Landcare group stepping up to do much to rid the dunes of lantana and rubbish. However, a large section
Inside this issue Arthur Campbell Reserve gets TLC p3
Catch the world’s best bodyboarders p3
3D printing prototypes the way of the future
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Professor Marc in het Panhuis adjusting a fin prototype in the waters off Sumatra.
As an enthusiastic surfer, when Kiama Downs’ Professor Marc in het Panhuis wanted to demonstrate the suitability of 3D printing for rapid prototyping, it was natural for him to focus on creating a better fin. “There is no such thing as a simple surfboard fin,” explains the Professor in Chemistry at the University of Wollongong, after working on 3D printed surfboard fin designs for the past four
Photos: Paul Jones
Artisan Food Festival: Encouraging good taste p7
Help design Minnamurra Boardwalk p9
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