Grey Community Newsletter May 2010

EDITORIAL

For years, committee members have spent Association funds on professional advice, legal issues, political issues, heritage listings, and on preparation for and meetings with various organisations too numerous to mention. We expect to have considerable expense achieving listing with the State Heritage body in the near future.
In addition, funds are spent on tip maintenance, settlement improvements and rehabilitation.
The office bearers and committee members accept much of the costs in getting to and from these tasks as well as giving their valuable time (which is often considerable) to attend and negotiate on the settlement’s behalf.
There are still members of the Grey community who are not members of the Association. If you have a shack at Grey but have not joined the Association on your shack’s behalf, WHY NOT???  The Association can only speak and act on BEHALF OF MEMBERS!
Please support the community in which you have an interest by paying  the $50.00 per year for your shack’s membership! Membership fees are payable to the Grey Conservation and Community Association and can be sent to the Secretary at the address on this page. Do not forget to include the number of your shack and your name and email address.

RUMOURS

Incorrect rumors continue to circulate.

The facts are:

• This next year will decide if a lease extension is achievable.
• The years to follow will determine the conditions under which any further lease extension would be issued.
• The Minister for the Environment (Ms Donna Faragher) has agreed that the completion of the road will not be a triggering event for our removal.
• The Minister has publicly stated that she wishes to see a “compromise” settlement reached.
• The word “compromise” can mean many things and does not guarantee us continuity beyond the current lease termination date.
• Representatives of Wedge and Grey are meeting with as many politicians as possible, putting our case and stating that we have proposals for each settlement and will negotiate if given the opportunity.
• Any extension of shack leases requires a whole of cabinet agreement.
• Wedge and Grey have agreed to present as one unified front in our meetings with politicians.
• Until we achieve a cabinet approved change of policy we remain subject to eradication in 2011.
• There is still a long, long way to go but at least we have acknowledgment that we have a case !!

RECYCLING

Just a few lines to ask for your support in recycling your steel and aluminum cans.

The association committee has decided, after numerous talks with various politicians and the shire, that further recycling measures should be adopted at Grey.

One of the arguments against us put forward by the pollies, local government and DEC, is rubbish (excuse the pun).

We ask you to help in this regard and separate your cans both tin and aluminum, and place them in the conveniently located bins at the tip.

This will both help alleviate another argument against us staying at Grey and Wedge, and reduce the volume of rubbish in the general tip.

FISH OFFAL

If possible please take offal back out to sea as this will help minimise smell and flies at the tip. Please! “out to sea” means offshore, not just down to the beach!

BUSY BEE

The following email (edited) was received in mid-April by our President Peter Sheppard from Ross Tapper at Grey:

“G’day Pete,
Just letting you know what happened the other day after the Wedge Island Tip fire. ………We had a visit from the Dandaragan Shire’s FESA vehicle. They asked where our tip was and were directed to it. Later, Davo rang them to find out what it was about, and asked for any hints on how to best house keep the tip. The reply was that it was the best tip they have seen, very well maintained and segregated into materials. They even had their Health Inspector on board who gave it approval, so a big clap on the back for Davo should be mentioned in the next newsletter, and a call for volunteers to help in some clean up work out there. ………….Those Fridges and other heavy items are hard to move, but it has to be done to keep the place tidy. Even an emu bob around with some bags to collect the wind scattered rubbish would be a help,
Cheers Rosco

P.S. It’s good to have some good publicity sometimes.”

As Ross said the general appearance of the settlement is important. Your committee would like to invite everyone to a Busy Bee at the tip, on Sunday 6th June 2010 at 3.30pm for a general tip and area clean up. Please bring your own gloves, rake, plastic bags and trailer if you have one.

Contact Fred Sharp if you have any inquiries (see contact details on Committee Page).

DUNE RE-VEGETATION

A Dune Re-vegetation field day will be held on Saturday the 22nd of May 2010. Please meet at 8am at the dune. Activities will include planting and fence erection.