- Published on
By Catherine Watson
“NEVER work with animals or children,” actor W. C. Fields famously said, and there was never any question about the result once a contingent of kids stormed the Cowes cultural centre on Wednesday afternoon.
Carrying their skateboards and home-made signs, the kids took up their positions on the floor for the final Bass Coast council meeting of the year. There was no mucking about or chattering.
They sat through the acknowledgment of country, the oath, the questions, the councillors’ reports …and the meeting hadn’t even really begun.
“NEVER work with animals or children,” actor W. C. Fields famously said, and there was never any question about the result once a contingent of kids stormed the Cowes cultural centre on Wednesday afternoon.
Carrying their skateboards and home-made signs, the kids took up their positions on the floor for the final Bass Coast council meeting of the year. There was no mucking about or chattering.
They sat through the acknowledgment of country, the oath, the questions, the councillors’ reports …and the meeting hadn’t even really begun.
It was hard to tell if they were aware of their opposition – the adults sitting on chairs across the way – but if they were they ignored them and stared silently and sternly at the assembled councillors.
If they’d been any older the hard floor might have broken their resolve, but their limbs were young and flexible enough to sit there all day, if that’s what it took.
At one stage, with a very crowded agenda, it looked as though the real danger was that it would be past their bedtime before the all-important item H7 – a vote on whether to locate the Bass Coast regional skate park at Newhaven – until councillors rearranged the schedule to put it at the top.
For those who don’t know the skate park saga, here’s the short version: last year the council secured a $600,000 State Government grant to build a $1.2 million regional skate park. The condition was that the park had to be sizeable (over 1000 square metres) and it had to be central for all the shire’s skateboarders.
The preferred site was on the San Remo foreshore, until someone discovered it was a mass of underground services. Council officers proposed relocating to Grayden’s Reserve in Newhaven, a small park just over the bridge alongside the highway.
That’s when local residents got their backs up, citing concerns over the loss of public open space, noise, parking and unsavoury elements congregating at skate parks (clearly not the wholesome kids there on Wednesday).
Since then it’s become a numbers game: a petition of 236 against, mostly Newhaven residents. Then the island skateboarding community swung into action: 94 letters in support. The residents rallied: 15 letters against. Even Solomon might have been baffled on how to solve this one.
Cr Pamela Rothfield bravely took up the challenge. She argued that councillors should defer the matter until next year and think about some other options. “I would have loved it to be in San Remo. I think there is logic to it being in Newhaven or perhaps Cape Woolamai. We just need to be a little more courageous in looking at what is available.”
Her argument was loudly applauded by the contingent of Newhaven residents, but if any of Cr Rothfield’s fellow councillors were convinced, they only had to look across the floor at the resolute kids and their mums and dads to think better of it.
“Let’s get on with it,” Cr Clare Le Serve said. “I know some of the people in this room were the age of these kids when they first came to council and now they’re grown men.”
“Some of those people have grandkids here now,” Cr Stephen Fullarton pointed out. ”That’s how long our community’s been waiting.
“A skate park was mentioned back in 1985. I apologise to our community but local government wheels turn very, very slowly. “
Cr Fullarton said he would like to see the skatepark on the carnival site in Cowes, which the council is in the process of buying for recreation.
“I dispute the claim that the skateboard park has to be in the centre of the shires. In my opinion, it has to be in the centre of where the users are, which is Phillip Island, San Remo and Woolamai. That’s our surfing and skating community.”
Loud applause from the other side!
Cr Julian Brown was unimpressed with his colleague’s argument. It was a regional skate park, he pointed out, and that meant it had to be accessible to skaters from all parts of the shire.
Muted applause. Presumably no Wonthaggi or Inverloch skaters had made the trek to Cowes.
“Last night I was getting emails every 15 minutes from people in favour of the skate park,” Cr Geoff Ellis commented. “Three nights earlier it was from the people opposed. It’s not a reality TV show and we’re not going to make a decision based on the size of the applause.”
Point taken. Silence.
“Time to vote,” said Mayor Brett Tessari. “All in favour of the recommendation? … Carried!”
Loud cheering and a few whistles. Job done, the kids filed out and went home for tea. The Newhaven residents left quietly.
If they’d been any older the hard floor might have broken their resolve, but their limbs were young and flexible enough to sit there all day, if that’s what it took.
At one stage, with a very crowded agenda, it looked as though the real danger was that it would be past their bedtime before the all-important item H7 – a vote on whether to locate the Bass Coast regional skate park at Newhaven – until councillors rearranged the schedule to put it at the top.
For those who don’t know the skate park saga, here’s the short version: last year the council secured a $600,000 State Government grant to build a $1.2 million regional skate park. The condition was that the park had to be sizeable (over 1000 square metres) and it had to be central for all the shire’s skateboarders.
The preferred site was on the San Remo foreshore, until someone discovered it was a mass of underground services. Council officers proposed relocating to Grayden’s Reserve in Newhaven, a small park just over the bridge alongside the highway.
That’s when local residents got their backs up, citing concerns over the loss of public open space, noise, parking and unsavoury elements congregating at skate parks (clearly not the wholesome kids there on Wednesday).
Since then it’s become a numbers game: a petition of 236 against, mostly Newhaven residents. Then the island skateboarding community swung into action: 94 letters in support. The residents rallied: 15 letters against. Even Solomon might have been baffled on how to solve this one.
Cr Pamela Rothfield bravely took up the challenge. She argued that councillors should defer the matter until next year and think about some other options. “I would have loved it to be in San Remo. I think there is logic to it being in Newhaven or perhaps Cape Woolamai. We just need to be a little more courageous in looking at what is available.”
Her argument was loudly applauded by the contingent of Newhaven residents, but if any of Cr Rothfield’s fellow councillors were convinced, they only had to look across the floor at the resolute kids and their mums and dads to think better of it.
“Let’s get on with it,” Cr Clare Le Serve said. “I know some of the people in this room were the age of these kids when they first came to council and now they’re grown men.”
“Some of those people have grandkids here now,” Cr Stephen Fullarton pointed out. ”That’s how long our community’s been waiting.
“A skate park was mentioned back in 1985. I apologise to our community but local government wheels turn very, very slowly. “
Cr Fullarton said he would like to see the skatepark on the carnival site in Cowes, which the council is in the process of buying for recreation.
“I dispute the claim that the skateboard park has to be in the centre of the shires. In my opinion, it has to be in the centre of where the users are, which is Phillip Island, San Remo and Woolamai. That’s our surfing and skating community.”
Loud applause from the other side!
Cr Julian Brown was unimpressed with his colleague’s argument. It was a regional skate park, he pointed out, and that meant it had to be accessible to skaters from all parts of the shire.
Muted applause. Presumably no Wonthaggi or Inverloch skaters had made the trek to Cowes.
“Last night I was getting emails every 15 minutes from people in favour of the skate park,” Cr Geoff Ellis commented. “Three nights earlier it was from the people opposed. It’s not a reality TV show and we’re not going to make a decision based on the size of the applause.”
Point taken. Silence.
“Time to vote,” said Mayor Brett Tessari. “All in favour of the recommendation? … Carried!”
Loud cheering and a few whistles. Job done, the kids filed out and went home for tea. The Newhaven residents left quietly.
Comments are closed.
With the dogs how many actually ever walk on beach every day like we have for last 20 years and see what happens/ Certainly not a shire ranger never saw one in last 20 years except buying coffee in town.
With skate park hopefully all those who crowded meeting will now go out fund raising as no way will the San Remo community "allow" the San Remo community stand bye and let the money that was collected from developers for the betterment of San Remo existing township to be spent on skate park in Newhaven or anywhere else.
Theis money was as a result of the decisions made by Bass Coast Council and adopted as council policy as part of the agreement to allow future developments to occur. It is all in writing and approved by successive councils. Clr Le Clare knows full well as she was councillor at that time and even mayor during part of the 2 plus years that these negotiations occured. There's a
enough people still living and alive in San Remo today who have both hard and computer copy's of everything that was part of that agreement.
The San Remo area has seen virtually none of the infrastructure that Bass Coast were suppose to provide BEFORE development took place and virtually no infrastructure since it started. Council clearly desperate for the new rate collection income but "have No Money" to spend yet they find money for a skate park.
I would point out if the terribly planned, waste of money Skate Park had proceeded at San Remo there is no way the San Remo community would have agreed to the San Remo community money would have been spent on it.
That was just another stupid Council decision in their desperate actions to support Labour party win Bass seat in last State election.We might be old but we're not stupid we've seen political decisions all our life we know when politicians of all sides of politics treat the people who actually pay the bills for granted. W e saw in in USA and Australian elections and as i write this most likely in UK elections where polls have just closed.
To Bass Coast Councillors yes you should represent all members of this community including those under 18. But also you surely should know by now the only ones who pay the money that you get paid and spend like its a bottomless pit of money are ratepayers, nobody else pays for your actions. Yes there is the odd Government (Federal & State) hand outs but their always driven by political decisions and always there is a price to pay for it, and of course that money only comes from those that pay taxes there's in no where else to collect it from.
If this decision to spend San Remo community money is taken by Council than i can see that the San Remo community would most likely challenge it through various options and the community does have good legal advice available to it.
We've won before at VCAT for instance we can do it again.
There has to be other options to keep it away from housing.
I don't think you have the right to vent your rage, anger, frustrations, judgements etc. etc.(in an anonymous way) to the editor of Bass Coast Post and to Bass Coast Shire Council.
Do it the proper way- through due process, community activism, petitions, letters, setting up formal committees, not for profit organizations, etc.
Sending nasty letters to Bass Coast Post, nasty Emails to Councillors and Council staff IS NOT the right way to go about it.
This is from someone who has learned the lesson the hard way.
We did this at Rhyll, some years ago and it happened again and again and now is happening again.
We ALL want to preserve our environment, our trees, our wildlife, our parklands and preserve them for future generations.
Community consultation is absolutely essential, so is justice, lack of discrimination and fairness for all in the community.
I am an elderly person in our community.
Good luck with your campaign.
Now after following all the right protocols with approximately 80% of residents opposed as are most non resident visitors to the park we have arrogant councillors from our ward ignoring the voting ratepayers. There are many in San Remo who support the Newhaven residents and I dare say based on my experience would not support councillors Kent or Ellis in an election due to their lack of support for Newhaven residents. So Phyllis we have done everything by the book and the fact we do not always publish our names here is to avoid the rude backlash that has been administered by some who live in another area that has over 200 youth . That is where the ramp should go.
While there are comments about San Remo skate park resolved much easier than Newhaven thats far from reality, the public meeting with our 3 councillors and a mediator was one of the worst public meetings i've ever been to (and of been to a few) the attitude of 2 of a our 3 councillors we're appalling and the 3rd more experienced councillor spent most of the meeting trying to protect them from the response they we're getting from their own comments, they we're slow to learn that they were out of step to the residents they were suppose to represent.
Hard to see anyone at those meetings as resident of San Remo and surrounding areas will forget that meeting next time they fill in ballot paper at council election or any other local election if they believe they should go to Spring Street or Canberra to further their career.
One reminds me of Jeremy Corban might get same result!!