Edgar Adams' Editorial

The local government elections are on September 13 – five years since the last. This lot of Councillors got an extra year to stuff up our region because it was politically convenient for our State Government. Looking back over those five years we are trying to find just a few economic initiatives that Gosford and Wyong Councils introduced that have had a positive effect on business. And, we’ve given up. They’ve been too busy squabbling about water.

More to the point, what major projects have we seen in the past five years? Mirvac’s Quay West Resort Magenta Shores project was completed a few years ago and the Kooindah Waters project has just been completed – both in Wyong. In Gosford – nothing. There have been heaps of opportunities but none got off the ground. And then you think to yourself, “Well that’s the way it was over the previous four years.”

So, over the past nine years and more we have had a mob of councillors drawing their paltry stipends and playing petty politics with our region. Sure, there have been a handful who have tried to achieve something but in the end they didn’t get the chance, out-voted by the petty politicians. For some reason or another, the only reason we know there is an election on is that the Holsteins and Brooks’s and Doyles and Eatons and Bests and Grahams of the world have been performing for the press so as to get some free publicity. But then they must need the lousy $15,000 a year.

Looking at the list of candidates so far, you can bet your life it will be business as usual at Gosford and Wyong after September 13.

Central Coast Grammar School’s appointment of Bill Low as Headmaster is an excellent choice. Not just for the school itself but for the whole Central Coast. Bill Low was for a number of years Director of Education here on the Central Coast, before being moved to the Department’s head office in Sydney. He introduced a number of far reaching initiatives to improve our education standards and is a visionary. We know that he has the capacity to continue the good work of retiring Headmaster, Richard Lorney and work closely with all schools, private and public, on the Coast for the good of our community. 

Meanwhile the debate on amalgamation of the councils still a hot topic. You will recall that following the Federal Election, the Members for Robertson and Dobell held 2020 Summits in their respective electorates. One issue that came out of both Summits was the need to amalgamate Wyong and Gosford Councils. And now the Member for Dobell, Craig Thompson, has taken the lead on the issue and publicly stated the need for one Central Coast council. It is now time to step up the pressure on the NSW Government so that in 2012 we will be voting for a Central Coast Council. 

Central Coast Tourism’s Gateway Centre opened at Mt Penang Parklands in August last year. It has been an outstanding success when compared with number of visitors that it handled as a Visitor Information Centre at Terrigal for many years. In those days people had to find their way to Terrigal or The Entrance before they could find out about the Central Coast and most people by this time were too frazzled to be interested in all the other opportunities on the Coast.

As you will see from our story on page 12 the Gateway Centre is now able to tell visitors about the region as they drive off the expressway. And as you will read, a lot of these people get directed to places like Norah Head and Yarramalong, so the Wyong area gets huge value from the Gateway Centre. But Wyong Council contributed zero to the building of the project because it wasn’t located in Wyong. Gosford Council not only contributed their share but had to lend Central Coast Tourism Wyong Council’s share to fund the project. More reason why we need one Council!

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