By Michael Giles
WHAT the South Gippsland Shire Council and its administration has done to the families and retired couples, who up until now have been annual leaseholders at the Port Welshpool and Yanakie caravan parks, is an absolute disgrace.
There’s a massive financial cost that the shire has done its best to hide, and we’ll get to the bottom of that don’t worry.
But more important, far more important than that is the human cost.
And to be there last Saturday and witness the break-up of a wonderful community at Yanakie; as couples, families and individuals went about pulling down their annexes, decks and verandas, and taking them to the tip, prior to having caravans removed really brought it home.
Their sentimental keepsakes, the family photos on the walls, their efforts to make their holiday retreats homely… they’re all gone.
Oh don’t worry, they fought the stupid edicts by the council and railed against the shire’s belligerent attitude and failure to negotiate or mediate the dispute for almost two years but in the end, many of them have been broken by the process.
Having spent thousands of dollars from their own scarce funds to mount a legal challenge, they certainly don’t want to go but fear what it might cost to fight on now that eviction notices have been served.
Even now some of them are holding out, hoping the shire will finally see reason (if not decency) and do what they should have done in the first place, make it a requirement on the sale of a caravan set-up that it be brought up to compliance by the new owners.
Or, at the very least, give them three months grace to get out now they have ultimately decided to go.
For goodness sake, this isn’t Queensland.
The long, cold stretch of weather in South Gippsland means that peak holiday demand at caravan parks, for all but the very best Big 4 Parks, is very limited and you need the balance of cash flow from the annuals and casual demand to make local parks viable.
The shire administration doesn’t know how to run a caravan park. Everyone told them that before they took it on, nor do they have the commitment to do so properly with the predictable result that they have thrown hundreds of thousands of dollars at the problem with very little to show for it.
For what it has cost us, the ratepayers, they could have made reasonable demands on the annuals and left them in peace, and built their own flash new park at Yanakie.
But for all the heartache and despair that was going on at Yanakie and Port Welshpool last weekend, we did not hear one word, not a single word from our councillors at their monthly meeting last Wednesday.
Do they even know what it has cost so far?
The council also plans to make a similar move on annuals at the Waratah Bay Caravan Park towards the end of next year. Hopefully the experiences at Yanakie and Port Welshpool will serve as a reality check for the next council.
We spent four glorious years at Yanakie! We lost 21k the money spent to purchase our van but we lost much more than this! It was our haven & a beautiful little community. We are gutted but our memories remain. Shame on South Gippsland Shire Council for ripping out so many hearts. You will reap what you have sown.
Had the South Gippsland Shire done their job and actually performed the required 3 yearly audits for compliance, none of us would be in this dreadful situation. (None have been done in the history of the park). Incompetence at it’s absolute best ! 🙁
That is the saddest thing and breaks my heart as this would have affected those ones who have really really worked their hardest to afford this little bit of paradise for retirement.
I wish more common sense would enter into our local government.
I feel for all who have to go through this agony and pray there may be a resolve soon.
Thank you SENTINEL for saying it as it is.
Graham Bond
PO Box 716
Leongatha
VIC 3953
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Nightmare come True.
It is a nightmare beyond comprehension come true on Thursday 26 May 2016 for Stan and Paula Crossley and many others.
Today Stan under sufferance, begins to demolish his $30,000 dream. He and and his Wife Paula have had their life effectively ruined by the Council driven by CEO Tamlin, Cr. Fawcett and their band of cohorts seeking to achieve, I do not know what or why. It is certainly not and definitely not to make the Long Jetty Caravan Park profitable for the Ratepayers. It has already and it will continue to make losses for the Ratepayers to bear. Not to worry. Increases in rates will cover it.
I cannot imagine how Stan is feeling today as he begins to demolish his unit.
I cannot understand that anyone or group can lack compassion such as that demonstrated by the South Gippsland Shire Council turning on their own people. The unfairness and lack of compassion and the injustice is simply beyond belief.
I am having visions of the megalomaniac Stalin where 60,000,000 of his own people died building Stalin’s private dream. That does not include the more than 10,000,000 million Russians that died defending Stalin’s dream. 5,000,000 German soldiers also died along the way. People must suffer when a large ego is to be defended. Ratepayers should rally and council the Council in error of their ways and at the up coming election remind them that Council’s actions are ratepayers actions and I cannot believe a single ratepayer would condone what their very own Council has done to Stan and Paula and many others.
What more can I say?
Graham Bond
Leongatha
Hi thank you for that article – I was an annual at long jetty for 8 years and this process broke my heart. We pulled out 18 months ago as it was getting me down and also seeing everyone go through this was awful. Your article touches some of the pain felt by us. There is also so much financial loss suffered all because Council did not conduct their audits and we bought illegal structures in the first place. Regards,