U3A are urging members to "Show The Mayor You Care" ahead of Council being asked to support a recommendation by staff to move community groups, who use the Community Centre, to find alternate venues. Taking advantage of Covid restrictions the Council is using the opportunity to disguise the Community Centre as under utilised and excess to need suggesting that other council under-utilised venues such as Hanging Rock should be used allowing the Batemans Bay Community Centre to be eventually sold ahead of the opening of The Mackay Centre that requires an injection of funds, from any source, to keep its doors open.
U3A is the largest community group in the shire. The group says to its 600 members: Add your voice to that of our President. Show the Mayor you care about our Community Centre by writing or calling her as suggested in this extract from an article in The Beagle. The full article can be accessed at https://www.beagleweekly.com.au/
“If you believe that a community owned centre should not be leased out give Liz Innes a ring and tell her to vote to support the Batemans Bay community. Her number is 02 4474 1301 or 0417 411 851. Drop her a line at mayor@esc.nsw.gov.au Theother Batemans Bay councillors who vote with Innes are Maureen Nathan 0429 957 403
clrmaureen.nathan@esc.nsw.gov.au and Jack Tait 0429 959 487
Community Action (the group led by the Mayor) told us to VOTE for them "To build a Council you can rely on. A Council you can trust. A Council which is your friend not your enemy. We won’t just listen to our residents’ reasonable concerns. We will take notice and we will take action."
If these three are fair dinkum they will back Anthony Mayne's motion to return the community centre to the community where it rightfully belongs. If he gets the backing of McGinlay and Constable (which he will) then they just need three more votes to block the staff intention to lease and sell the centre. It all comes down to how the Batemans Bay councillors vote. Give Innes, Tait and Nathan a call. They say they stand shoulder to shoulder with the community. Let's see if they are genuine. “
