It is traditional for Council to hold some of its fortnightly meetings in local community halls, but the last time Council records indicate the meeting was hosted at South Arm Hall was in September 2018.

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In 2023 two meetings scheduled to be held at the hall were cancelled within weeks or days of their scheduled dates due to nearby fires or an expectation that the audience would be too large.

Most attendees arrived early to socialise and enjoyed pumpkin soup, sandwiches, cake and other treats courtesy of the army of volunteers.

Hall Committee President Brett Etchells addressed the meeting with a welcome to councillors and staff, then three club members took the opportunity to speak as part of the public forum.

Several local issues were raised by speakers, notably planned improvements to the hall, local sealed and unsealed roads, and the access road to the Bowraville Recreation Club.

Joy van Son addressed the issue of a large pile of trees located behind the South Arm Hall which had remained there for the past five years despite being a fire hazard and a commitment from Council to remove them.

“Not long after the 2019 bushfires, Council came and cut down many of the trees along the roadside including several of the large eucalypts up to 100 years old,” Ms van Son told the Council.

“They were pushed into a large pile and left there forgotten and neglected, on the western side of the hall.

“Here we are just short of five years and still nothing has been done.

“This pile is not only a fire hazard and an eye sore but it is a reminder for many of the residents of the terrible destruction which occurred and it can still bring up emotions.”

Ms van Son said she hoped that instead of burning the pile, the larger logs could be used and the smaller ones turned into wood chips for use by the South Arm community.

Mayor Rhonda Hoban called for a report into all matters raised by speakers in the public forum.

For many, it felt more like a party than a meeting with some councillors and community members needing to be told to vacate the hall as it was nearly 8pm and friendly discussions were still continuing although volunteers were keen to call it a night..

“That’s one thing I really love about this mayor – it doesn’t matter what your political affiliations are, Rhonda has time to listen to everyone,” one of the volunteers, Ms Anama Tesser, remarked to NOTA.

“She’s always so appreciative of our efforts,” she said.

After the meeting, the volunteers got back to their duties, washing up and rearranging the furniture with the last to leave vacating at around 8.15pm.

By Ned COWIE