We have had  Meetings at the Teachers Centre Adamstown, the Home of Treasurer Jack Shield and we are now using Kotara South School. People are very kind, especially the Kotara South staff, but we desperately need a space somewhere close to public transport where our equipment can be stored and made available for members.

The Newcastle heritage centre is still not fully restored after the earthquake. However, we placed a proposal before Mr Keegan when he was MLA for Newcastle, asking for his help to establish a Community Resource Centre within the Heritage Centre from which we could operate with other groups. We now need to meet with the new Member Mr. Bryce Gaudry.

We envisage that the Centre would be a non profit group providing work space and expertise for the community to initiate action to improve their environment, campaign, meetings, etc. Your support is needed.

The Glenrock Total Catchment Management Committee to which I was appointed earlier this year met only once, Mr.Keegan was appointed chairman and as far as I can see these committees are only a sounding board that can do very little except prepare strategies. Officers from the Water Board and the local Councils are able to use any funds that may become available through TCM.

The Glenrock State Recreation area still suffers the pressures of the Water Board's activities whether they be sewerage sludge pumping, the Burwood Beach head works or the new Charlestown carrier main. Each activity has its environmental toll on the reserve.

A major sewage surcharge occurred this year which we make public. The Board discharges raw sewage into creeks when there are blockages in the mains and the overflow points are usually into permanent water holes to disguise the sewage and reduce the smell. We have asked the Board to mark overflow pipes points so that they can be seen when there is a surcharge.

This year we made a very detailed examination of the new Charlestown sewerage main and made submissions to the Board. We believe that the Board should employ a professional Landscape Architect to document and supervise their works within the Glenrock SRA. This is the only way to bring professional landscape planning to bear directly on the Board's interface with the environment. An EIS should have been prepared and an alternative alignment for the pipe considered.

The Board is responsible for a great deal of the damage that has been done to the Glenrock area and could be repaired by using some of the environmental levy that we are all required to pay with our water rates. A large amount of this environmental levy is being used at present to upgrade and extend the sewerage system to the west.

We are outraged that the Board has not prepared an Environmental Impact Statement for its disposal of sewage sludge into old mine workings. The Water Board went to incredible lengths to save itself from the  preparation of a proper EIS. I'm sure that it would be simpler and better to just prepare the required EIS.

We do not believe that authorities should have to be taken to the Land and Environment Court by residents to force them to carry out their obvious responsibility.

The Glenrock SRA management plan is still not available and the Management Trust has not been formed. After the last election there was an outcry when the Government intended to remove SRA's from the Environment portfolio. Glenrock is still under the NP&WS.

Much still remains to be done to upgrade the tracks, rationalise the vehicle roads and landscape Water Board damaged areas.

Lake Macquarie  Council adopted a proposal for a Lake ParkSystem this year and we made representations expressing our support and interest. We hope that the new Council will detail the proposal further and begin in its implementation. We must make a special effort to join with our colleagues in URGE to obtain real progress and ensure that the conservation of the lake bushlands are conserved in the new visions and strategies that are proposed for the Lake.

The Movement believes that there is a need for a Lake Macquarie Conservation Trust along the lines of the Hunter Valley Conservation Trust. The Hunter Trust has done good work in controlling erosion and helping with the Throsby Creek TCM. It also has the ability to set its own budget and ensure that its works are completed whereas the TCM's have no power to raise funds and are unable to implement work.

The Green Point proposed LEP was placed on exhibition just before the Local government elections and we have made a submission along the lines of our long standing policy of no subdivision of Green Point.  The movement is prepared to seek legal advice should it be required to uphold our position.

Wangi Point Crown Land Reserve was in the news recently with the Council's bulldozing of the park for a second road. The Movement placed objections to the Management Plan when it was on display in Dec 1988. We wanted to phase out the caravan park and see that this road was not made part of the plan.

The Movement was pleased to join with URGE in action before the Land and Environment Court to seek an injunction to restrain the Council. A temporary injunction was issued.

The Wangi Reserve issue became a turning point in the election and lead to the demise of Mayor Welsh who had demanded that the road proceed in spite of Council's failure to carry out the proper preliminary erosion control work it was obliged to do prior to commencement of work in this sensitive area.

The Movement was able to help local residents at Warners Bay raise the environmental issues regarding the roundabouts proposed that affected local parkland. Unfortunately we didn't have the resources to press the issues and the area is currently being cleared.

Many Lake Macquarie local Parks suffer from poor management and we decided to prepare a photographic analysis of the Kahibah Rd Azzuri Soccer Club and a scout hall park which is an example of a poorly designed and poorly managed park. It is heavily alienated and in an untidy condition and illustrates some general problems.

Council has not answered correspondence or provided the information we requested. However we will continue with this project hoping for a better response from the new Council.

The Movement has continued its interest in the caravan Park issue at Belmont lagoon. Our secretary Greg Wright has been working hard on the Lagoon access and conservation project over many years. The current proposal is for a land swap and rezoning to prevent further filling of the lagoon and gain other benefits if the Gaytime caravan park is extended.

Gordon Pacific zoning in the Swansea peninsula need reviewing and we have made many representations over the year seeking some movement with little success. Recently we have tried a new effort to obtain a study of wild life and conservation values of the peninsula to form the basis for a new initiative to obtain the protection of some of the significant natural areas within a proper public reserve system.

It is unfortunate for the people of lake Macquarie that the previous council under Mayor Welsh did not make any effort to ensure that significant public reserves were included within the Gordon proposals in LEP amendment 16. We have sent letters to all aldermen in the new Council. We also sent the LEP plan out to all media to show that there are no significant public open space areas.

The denial of the public right of access to the ocean front is a denial of our birthright. The coastal acquisition zone is leased back to the company at a peppercorn rent of $1.00 per year. It is said that the public will be allowed on a pathway hanging over the cliff face when the tourist development is operational.  The Swansea S Bends project has been scaled down over the year waiting for the Gordon Pacific interchange. This road is a major highway demolishing a prominent ridge and cutting through natural bushland of high botanical significance. The Movement was concerned that the highway was not the subject of an Environmental Impact Statement as we requested.

We are further concerned that an individual citizen Mr. Ken Johnson without any legal training has challenged the RTA in the Land and Environment Court at great personal expense. The case has been before the court for more than 12 months and is still proceeding. We have kept a close watch on the whole area and can only express our outrage at the way the whole LEP 16 was pushed through with indecent haste to the disadvantage to the people of the lake and their environment and that no EIS was prepared.

Raymond Terrace Bypass road was studied by your committee and suggestions made with regard to the alignment and the staging of construction. On this occasion the RTA produced an attractive EIS. A cynic ,might argue that the EIS was prepared just in time for the State Gov. Election. Certainly on current figures a full scale bypass is not justified.

The Movement has been in contact with the Bob Brown the Minister responsible for Highways in the National Parliament concerning the affect of commonwealth money flowing into the coastal area without proper environmental safeguards.

The Movement wants all major road works subject to more than an interdepartmental review of environmental effects. We want proper environmental impact statements prepared so that careful analysis is possible before decisions are made and that an open process be instituted. We want the Review of Environmental Effects for each project displayed as an initial step.

 The sand mining at Anna Bay that is proposed for the export of foundry sand will ultimately have a long term effect on the Stockton Bight Nature Reserve proposals of the Trusts Hunter 2000 document. Indeed if this proposed Nature reserve is not established the whole Bight will be committed to mining in the future. The Movement lodged a detailed submission to the EIS against the mining. Council decided in favour of the mining.

The proposed new Local Government Act has occupied the mind of the community over the whole year and we have made comprehensive submissions to the Minister at the various stages. Our principal concern is with the new procedures in local government for the management of public lands. Under the new act all lands will be split into two categories, Community land and operational land. Community Lands will ultimately require Management plans. Our recent experience with management plans at Civic National Park, Blackbutt and Wangi do not inspire confidence in the proposed system and eternal vigilance will still be required.

The Movement's submission was prepared after discussions with other groups particularly the Total Environment Centre. An eleven page report and a four page summary was submitted for consideration.  We await the draft bill with interest because it is the bill that will bring significant changes to the Local Government scene in NSW. 

The year saw the disposal of surplus educational and hospital lands. The movement made strenuous efforts to bring these issues before the community with little success. At a time when governments are asking Local Council's to buy lands for open space as at Green Point they are selling off the people's own land and facilities. The present government is pursuing a immoral policy that is clearly against the public interest.

It must be pointed out that we have only a small amount of Crown Land that is available for public use in the lower Hunter because most of our land was alienated by the 1850's for coal leases and never returned to the crown. The Australian Agriculture grants for coal mining in the heart of Newcastle are a perfect illustration of our predicament today these lands are the suburbs of the Hill, Cooks Hill and Hamilton.Gordon Pacific was the old Silver Valley Mines with a new Name and Green Point was the Cardiff Coal Company. There is profit in gaining the land for mining, removing the coal then going from the mining business to the land dealing and development business.

We were sorry to see the disbanding of the Flora and Fauna Society this year especially when the Movement has had such a close relationship with F&F over the years especially through our long term committee members Wilf and the late Mavis Dews. We were pleased to be able to influence the some extent the disbursement of funds from the society andpropose a perpetual University Environmental Prize.

This year we have continued the policy of support for the Resident Groups of the region and we have helped in every way we could. We have continued our links particularly with the Hill residents and the Newcastle East residents.

We are disappointed that the Adamstown Residents Group which we helped establish is not active as there are many issues in the Adamstown area that require strong and firm action at the local level. The West Park landscaping and removal of alienation of the Driver range, the protection of the old rifle range bushland which is commonwealth land and threatened with subdivision.

We made efforts in conjunction with residents adjacent to the Hume's Pipe works to prepare a proposal for a buffer conservation zone between the residential area and the works.

The historic warehouses adjacent to the foreshore Park have been subject to great deal of investigation by the Movement especially in regard to the work on the Historic Park and the Convict Stockade.

After the years of struggle to obtain the parklands at the East End we now see the City Council giving special consideration to developers to use the park for access roads and car parking. The proposed building of five motor car garages and a ramp on the park east of the Cohen building is unacceptable and is a clear case of parkland filching.

The return of the Ward System in Newcastle is an important local government issue that has kept members busy for a large part of the year. Large local government areas like Newcastle need wards to ensure a fair spread of representation across the more than 100sq km area of the city. We believe that ward boundaries must be considered in the same way as electoral boundaries in state or federal sphere and set by the Electoral Commission.

The Movement was pleased to play an important part in the preparation of  the Newcastle Old Town strategy and we congratulate Howard Dick for his hard work in bringing together the people the ideas the strategy. The vision must be developed as the base for 1997  celebration of shortland's  visit to the mouth of the Hunter River and the discovery of coal.

The Blackbutt animal zoo and the proposed development of the reserve have caused us concern. The native animals  are poorly housed and the displays should be phased out. We need to make more effort to save natural habitat for koalas rather than allow more enclosures to be built at the expense of Newcastle ratepayers.   Nature must always be stressed when considering Blackbutt.

We don't believe that the cost of upgrading enclosures in Blackbutt is justified and we have investigated a concept for a professional zoo within the abandoned Wallsend Brick Pit area behind the Shortland Electricity offices. However state funding and professional management is a prerequisite. Newcastle Council has made provision in the current budget for upgrading the enclosures.

The Movement together with the Citizens' Foreshore Committee prepared a detailed submission requesting Funding from the Dep.of Planning and Heritage for a railway, customs house ,convict archaeological site, heritage precinct. The Department has not informed us officially that we have been unsuccessful but I fear that this is the case. Even so we must press ahead because this the most significant heritage precinct in the Hunter Region and will become the focus of interest as we approach our bicentennial.

The Movement is always prepared to join with others who strive to uphold the public interest.

This Year we were approached for help from residents at Canterbury in Sydney because of the threat of alienation for commercial gain of Wiley Park. The Local Council is prepared to alienate the park for a sizzlers restaurant and the local residents organisation led by Barbara Coorey was prepared to challenge the council in court.

Wiley park was willed to the people of Canterbury by John Valentine Wiley and its successors to be used as a Public Park and recreation ground forever. Indenture 624 book 819 17 Jan 1907.

Barbara won strong support in the recent Local Government elections and is now on Council she also won her court challenge but the council is taking action to get around the determination. They have the numbers 7 to 5 but not the morality. We are continuing with support.

I wish to thank my colleagues for their loyal support throughout this difficult year.

Doug Lithgow, President
Northern Parks and Playgrounds Movement
November 27, 1991