DEAR News Of The Area,

I CONGRATULATE the Editor on the 6 May edition of News Of The Area as I count it amongst the very best I have read from this paper over the last 20 years.

Interesting front page story suggesting Councillor Len Roberts may retire at the next election due in September.

I have stood in the heat, the rain and the cold at the North Arm Cove booth handing out his ‘How To Vote’ cards over many elections.

I was also involved in his crusade by coach to NSW Parliament house at the time of the highway bypass of Karuah seeking fly overs for the exits to North Arm Cove and Tea Gardens. This is still a pressing need today due to increased tourism and our proximity to Sydney.

Len Roberts achievements in this part of the Shire were listed in the story but it failed to say that the North Arm Coves number one WISH was for a trailer boat ramp to be constructed in this suburb which has 90% of its boundary with Port Stephens waterway, but no way of getting access to the water.

This issue was pursued by my committee for 20 years and by our predecessor committee for some 25 years before that and yes we all failed to achieve it.

Ever since Walter Burley-Griffin developed North Arm Cove to become Port Stephens City over 100 years ago, the lack of a boat ramp and access to the jetty is the area’s number one scandal.

The State Government spent in excess of $60,000 on a study by an independent environmental expert which came to the conclusion that Medina Bay was the only practical site for its construction, which my committee and the community had been suggesting to Council for many years.

We know where the blockage to construction is located and our Councillor Len Roberts was unable to clear it.

It is a scandal that this construction has not happened and unfortunately the politicians can’t seem to get through that swamp either.

I am of the opinion that this will all come to light at some time because North Arm Cove is the only waterfront location in NSW without access to the water and we would all like to know why this situation has evolved, preventing construction.

John BLACKBOURN,
Tea Gardens.