It is becoming obvious that Soldiers Beach is Central Coast Council’s favourite, between it, and it’s so called or perceived ugly cousin, Lakes Beach, in the North.
Some may say that it’s much the same rivalry as that between, say, Terrigal and Copacabana. It is my recent recollection that Soldiers Beach had a complete overhaul only a few years ago, with a new Surf Life Saving Clubhouse and associated road works, parking, the steep ramp leading down onto the beach, which many of the general public and local residents fi nd it hard to traverse, and the replacement of a myriad of stairs which disappeared during a storm with a relatively newly built staircase, which Cl Greg Best believes to be the ants pants, compared to the community built $35,000 ramp at Lakes Beach. Yet, still no disability access, let alone the poorly designed disability restrooms. On the other hand, Lakes Beach had been overlooked by former Wyong Council until the Northern Lakes Disability Tourism Precinct Committee Inc. took it upon itself to make a difference.
A small group of residents received abuse and ridicule from Cl Best and others for wanting to build an access ramp and observation deck leading to the beach. The former Wyong Council did its best to block approval, which had the community group approach the then NSW Planning Minister, Mr Brad Hazzard, to override Council’s objections. Cl Best and former Mayor Doug Eaton led the charge against the community group and their community project, by publically stating that it was super substandard and would fall apart inside 5 years. They also said it was also poorly constructed and should have been built to Council’s standards, which subsequently, have been found wanting. Council saw the community benefi t of such a project and eventually took ownership of the now well used ramp and observation deck. They reluctantly built two new accessible toilets and showers, and poorly line marked the disability parking areas. Unfortunately, they forgot that the pathway leading from the disability parking area and drop off point to the amenity facilities, past the cafe, was old cobble stones, which still cause trouble today for those in wheelchairs or those with mobility issues.
Some months later. after construction was approved, the Central Coast was hit by one of the worst storms it had ever experienced. The Council-built Budgewoi walkway was ripped apart and ended up a kilometre or so down the beach. The community-built ramp at Lakes Beach needed some sand shovelled away at the beach end. Several years down the track, the ramp is used by most visitors and locals to Lakes Beach. It is also used by many of our elderly and stroke victims for rehabilitation, and by those with disabilities, mobility and aging issues, and why, because they can. Central Coast Council recently constructed a partial new parking facility with kerb and guttering at Lakes Beach. Yet again, it was unfortunately in the middle section of the entire parking area, and not where the disabled or Surf Life Saving Club would benefi t. The gardens separating the parking areas have been left to become fourwheel drive obstacles, where many children and the disabled frequent.
Nippers by the hundreds run around the car park, yet nothing is done about speed limit signage or speed humps. A barrage of ignorant and untrue comments, verging on libel, came from Cl Best at the former Wyong Council’s Ordinary Meeting in September 2014, towards the volunteers who instigated and physically built this unique project, a community beach project which is now quickly becoming the region’s choice by young families and the elderly. So why is Lakes Beach treated differently than Soldiers Beach? Is it because powerful people happen to be patrons of Soldiers Beach SLSC? Do Council and local MPs think there are more votes in it for them from their constituents that frequent Soldiers Beach? Come on Central Coast Council make some positive decisions for Lakes Beach. Finish it off, maintain the ramp and surrounding bushland, and make it a visitor’s haven that we can all be proud of, don’t always leave it to the locals to go forward.
Email, Mar 5 Gary Blaschke, Disabled Surfers Association of Australia Inc.