The former Radovick Street home of Korumburra Senior Citizens Club will be sold after councillors voted five to three in favour of that outcome at their April meeting on Wednesday, with Cr Sarah Gilligan absent.
Prior to the vote, a trio of councillors expressed disgust about the behaviour of parties they accused of disrespecting the senior citizens and sidelining them from discussions with council in the lead up to the sale decision.
“When council asked for submissions on the sale, only one appeared and as time has gone on, we’ve become more than aware it’s clearly an attempt to use the Senior Citizens Club name as a vehicle to further a sovereign citizen’s agenda by some recently joined members,” Cr Scott Rae said.
He stressed that on the day prior to the meeting, some members of the Senior Citizens Club executive confirmed they had not seen correspondence sent to council that was purportedly representative of the club’s views on the proposed sale.
The submission and other correspondence received argued that council does not own the 14 Radovick Street property and has no right to sell it.
“We’ve had clear legal advice it is council’s to sell,” Cr Rae said.
Cr Jenni Keerie backed the view the property belongs to council, outlining her research into the matter, including a title search detailing the 1948 acquisition of the property, and studying relevant meeting minutes from over the years.
“My role is to make decisions for the best interests of the shire, as difficult as this can be on occasions,” Cr Keerie said before voting to support the sale of the former Senior Citizens Club building.
She spoke of a lunch she attended on Tuesday along with deputy mayor Nathan Hersey and Cr Rae, having been invited to eat with the seniors of Korumburra.
“What was clear when we arrived was that the senior citizens had absolutely no idea that we were attending and they had absolutely no idea that this matter was coming before council today,” Cr Keerie said.
“So, the people speaking on their behalf did not show dignity and respect to the senior citizens by including them in the discussions about an issue that was going to impact on them.”
Cr Keerie stressed the senior citizens are capable, competent, knowledgeable residents of the community who deserved to be part of the decision-making process.
“I’m really disappointed for our senior citizens and I have greater respect for them than what’s being shown to them by certain members of the community who purport to represent their interests,” she said.
Cr Hersey believes council has acted in good faith and done its best to work with the senior citizens.
He unleashed on those showing a lack of respect to those members of the community.
“I’m disgusted to see how our seniors have been treated by a very small group of people in our community,” Cr Hersey said.
“I’m disgusted to see firsthand yesterday how our senior citizens have no idea about correspondence that’s been sent in their name including that of the executive, about a submission that was sent in their name, about the fact that there have been people campaigning and championing a cause in their name and they had no idea.”
He noted that despite his best efforts to engage directly with those at the Senior Citizens Club, he has “been blocked at many steps along the way from hearing from those whom a decision to sell the former senior citizens building would impact”.
Having acknowledged the attachment many feel for the building, Cr Hersey proceeded to read out legal advice confirming it belongs to council which has the right to sell it.
Speaking before the vote, Cr Mohya Davies expressed the view it was appropriate to move forward with the sale of the building.
She then detailed the significant investment council has made in Korumburra over the last five years, totalling in excess of $20 million, a figure that doesn’t include the ongoing cost of maintaining Coal Creek.
As well as councillors Keerie and Davies, councillors Adrian Darakai, John Schelling and mayor Clare Williams voted to sell the Radovick Street building.
Cr Hersey voted against the sale on the basis “there are people who have not had their say”, with Cr Mick Felton and Cr Rae also voting no.
The Sentinel-Times has attempted to speak to a member of the Korumburra Senior Citizens Club executive but encountered the same obstacles as Cr Hersey.
