May 30th 2005
Democracy goes West
Try the following ingredients: threats by the Chair to have one attendee removed by police, no set agenda, ambiguous statements on voting forms, an uncertain grasp of meetings procedure, some feisty and thoughtful contributions from the floor and a pinch of pandemonium and you have a fair idea of the unshapely but ultimately useful and memorably entertaining meeting held Saturday morning when almost 40 West Point land owners gathered at the Golf Club to discuss, what else but,... the state of the West Point track.For readers unfamiliar with the area the West Point track runs for about 8 kms near to the water's edge along the western side of Magnetic and, to a pump station about half way along, the road is sealed. Much of the terrain is very low and in parts crosses sand dunes and intertidal zones. Properties beyond the pump station are not serviced with water or electricity. Sunglow Ave at Bolger Bay is a little further than half way to West point and is the only other public access road in Bolger Bay. The road is rough and cannot be safely travelled on at high speeds and in the wet some parts can be washed out and become very muddy and difficult or impossible to pass on some days.
Chaired by Mr Warren Whitfield, a Bolger Bay land owner, the meeting had been arranged through an earlier meeting of the MI Residents and Ratepayers Assoc (MIRRA). Mr Whitfield began the meeting with the statement, "West Point residents haven't had a voice before and this is an opportunity to have a say."
Mr Whitfield backgrounded the legal status of the road and commented that sources within the Department of Natural Resources and Mines (DNRM) had informed him that the road from the end of the sealed road to Sunglow Avenue - which included an easement through Don Bowermn's property - was "a formal gazetted road" and the track onwards to West Point, according to Townsville City Council Officers, "has no legal standing" and that, if it were to be washed out Council could say, "b-gger you"!
Land owner from Bolger Bay Charlie McColl questioned what was meant if an easement could be a gazetted road? Warren Whitefield indicated however that DNRM has declared open a road from the end of the bitumen to Sunglow Avenue and that, in declaring it such, it was so.
Don Bowerman the biggest landowner on the West coast told the meeting, "On two occasions I notified TCC that I want the road on its true alignment and have had no correspondence back."
Other residents, including Gethin Morgan, another land owner, told the Chair, "Whether the road goes to Sunglow or not it runs through our land as well. The road you drive on is partly ours" His partner Jenny Terry said, "Clearly your information regarding gazettal is different to ours."
Diverging views over the legal status of the road were not convincingly resolved either way during the course of the meeting.
Warren Whitfield then read out a history of Townsville City Council's involvement over the track during the last decade. Here it emerged that there had been extensive engagement with the residents, particularly from 1998 when at another public meeting held at the Golf Club a residents Liaison Group which currently included George Masters of West Point, Angela Moore, Harry Mara and Gethin Morgan from Bolger Bay was elected
At this point Jenny Terry stood up to formally thank the Liason Group for its achievements since 1998 but was immediately ordered to "Sit down" by Chair Whitfield, who threatened that if people disrupted the meeting "We will have the Police remove them!" - a comment that induced brief pandemonium, shrieks of laughter and hilarity. Without any set agenda it was not possible to know when any subject could be spoken on.
Jenny Terry finished her statement then resumed her seat and Bill Timms of West Point told the meeting that at the 1998 meeting the road and provision of services including water and electricity was voted on and "knocked back".
 The meeting in action
Warren Whitfield then advised of the formal means by which roads are gazetted and told the meeting that DNRM Officers had told him that there were plans for the track that follow closely the existing track with no alteration to private land and that there was an expectation by officers from the department that the road had been subject to Native Title negotiations but that they "wouldn't hold it up" and that there was, "No reason why it won't go through."
Angela Moore, also of Bolger Bay, then provided a run-down on the Liaison Committee's achievements noting the, "fantastic collaboration between TCC and residents and the enormous benefits which followed" adding that "TCC should be congratulated for working with the group and hanging in there."
Julie Venables of Bolger Bay then added, "The improvements were made without cost to the surrounding environment which I don't think a bitumen road could achieve." As examples she noted that no trees had been cleared, that there were less road kills due to the slower vehicle speed and generally less traffic which she believed was beneficial to people and the environment.
Warren Whitfield then asked, "Do you define the current road 'all weather'? To which Julie Venables replied, "I don't call the present bitumen road as 'all weather' - since it goes under water at Ned Lee's Creek on high tides."
One of the most contested issues of the meeting concerned the wording of the voting form which was handed to the land owners on arrival. The "Yes" vote was worded, "Yes I want West Point Road to Sunglow Ave and the track from Sunglow Avenue to West Point upgraded to an all weather road." The "No" vote read: "No, I do not want the West Point Road to Sunglow Ave and the track from Sunglow Ave to West Point upgraded to an all weather road"
Angela Moore told the Chair, "I couldn't possibly vote on the motion as it is too ambiguous. She contested that "upgrade" could well be something the Liaison Committee (which she supported) approves of or initiates and that to vote "No" could mean no work of any sort be carried out.
To this Red Masters, also of Bolger Bay, wanted the voting form to clarify whether "upgrade" meant "to seal" the road with bitumen. Evidently it did mean "to seal" and it was notable that when Wendy Tubman, representing Magnetic Island Nature Care (MINCA) who manage a wildlife refuge at Bolger Bay, asked for supporters of the road's sealing to identify why they wanted it - Mr Kevin Madden, a land owner from Bolger Bay, said he thought it would bring the other services such as water and electricity.
Bill Timms, of West Point, commented that this would be on a user-pays basis and wondered at how a possible three or four million dollar bill would play out among the 45 or so ratepayers.
Michael Kiwit told the meeting, "I moved there knowing what was there because I want to live there. It doesn't do me any good if the rates go up accordingly."
Warren Whitfield said, "We are meeting simply to discuss sealing" but Wendy Tubman claimed, "It cannot be compartmentalised." with Warren Whitfield replying, "It's unfair to link them." But Julie Venables responded that, "These are all its (the road's) implications.
Wendy Tubman also asked why the letter Warren Whitfield read from TCC didn't mention the Management Plan (which had been a key element to the Liaison Group's engagement with TCC ) for the road. Warren Whitfield agreed that this was "a good point".
Eleanor Timms informed the meeting that TCC had still not finalised the Management Plan.
Gethin Morgan spoke of how the road had seen, "tremendous improvement" and was "very popular with walkers and cyclists and that, "Before we started talking TCC had never recognised drainage problems. These were fixed with very low cost low maintenance measures. Weeds are no longer spread by them not grading out wide any more and the Guinea grass from Retreat Creek to West Point is now under control". He added that he fully supported what Council had been doing and looked forward to going ahead..
Clearly at issue is the long term future for the Island's West coast. If a sealed all-weather road is to be built the expectation is from many that electricity and water will follow. The point of difference is, accordingly, between those who see the track in its present state as close to an ideal form of access and because it serves to limit the urbanisation they see as threatening the fragile West coast environment and bush lifestyle they enjoy, as opposed to others who want access to be easy, fast and achievable at all times with the likelihood that full services would eventually follow. Whether that easy access necessarily implied a sealed surface became a moot point when strong advocate for an upgrade and resident of forty years at West Point, George Masters, claimed, "I don't care if it's bitumen or not. I just want to get through!"
George was then asked what he thought should be done to satisfy his needs. He said that it needed proper deco-fill at least and complained that all that was being used now was mud from Nelly Bay Harbour which "gets slippery then big holes appear".
Charlie McColl claimed that this meeting was similar to the 1998 meeting and that "It is not useful to reinvent the wheel. There is a Liaison Committee and a process. There hasn't been much done lately but why don't we just warm up the committee again so TCC and others can see where we are going."
Warren Whitfield claimed however that, "If the Liaison Committee had kept in touch or held meetings more often and gotten wider views there would be no reason for this."
But Jenny Terry rejoined that, "The Committee didn't stop liaising with TCC but TCC stopped liaising with the Committee," to which Gethin Morgan added, "Until we have something to do we don't meet and that there has been no feedback to us that there is a problem."
Harry Mara then offered his position on the Committee to Warren Whitfield who said, "I don't want it. I was just asked to represent people."
George Master's dream was not viable according to West Point's Roy Healy, a Civil Design Draftsman, who told the meeting, "Bitumen will not give you that access and if you get a wash-out you will never get through until the road has been rebuilt. Building a sealed or good quality gravel road will not give you 365 days per year access. I don't believe you will ever have that!"
One unidentified contributor called for the presence of TCC engineers to advise on what could be done rather than relying on the opinions of locals. Although nobody objected to TCC engineering advice and expertise the need for ecological advice was also raised. Angela Moore commented, "Engineers turned the road into a water channel. It was from local feedback that we got a road that was so improved since 1998."
At its end the meeting may not have turned out as MIRRA or Warren Whitfield had hoped. But the outcome was remarkably productive in that the Liaison Committee was reinvigorated to action, a meeting for all land owners along the road from the end of the bitumen was to be called and a number of locals were brought up to speed with the history and processes of local involvement with the road and the complexity of the issues the road presents.
It was a raucous and lively meeting and one that was hardly conducted with the finer etiquette of meetings' procedure foremost. But it did show that democracy can be at its liveliest when ordinary people are empowered to come together and work on their shared problems and differences and for this the organisers should be commended.
For the record three motions were put and passed. They were:
Motion 1, moved by David Ede and seconded by Bill Timms both of West Point, "That the West Point Road Liaison Group resume work with Townsville City Council to continue with the process of improving the road".
Motion 2, moved by Angela Moore of Bolger Bay, and seconded by Ron Healy of West Point, "That this meeting cannot vote on the proposed ballot put forward by Mr Warren Whitfield as the wording is too ambiguous".
Motion 3, moved by Ron Healy of West Point and seconded by Julie Venables of Bolger Bay, "That the existing committee (West Point Road Liaison Group) meet to organise another meeting of ratepayers from the pump station to West Point, welcoming them to attend and asking for suggestions regarding the West Point Road if they cannot attend".
Members of the Liaison Group have since informed Magnetic Times that the date they are seeking TCC and others to agree to meet would be Saturday July 9. Times and other details will be posted once confirmed.
Story and photos: George Hirst
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