Local councils supported by their communities are more effective.
The Mosman Parks & Bushland Association is concerned that forced council amalgamation will result in Mosman being under-represented, and will result in a loss of understanding of the values of bushland and open space.
The Mosman Parks & Bushland Association was formed fifty one years ago to protest against the destruction of bushland at Bradleys Head. Among its founding members were Eileen and Joan Bradley who developed a system of bush regeneration known as the Bradley Method which is still practiced.
The objectives of the Association remain the same today – the protection and preservation of parks, bushland and open space in the municipality of Mosman. The benefit is for current and future generations of residents and visitors.
Mosman has an exceptional natural landscape and Mosman Council has the full support of this Association in its efforts to conserve the municipality’s natural features.
Perhaps it is partly due to the work of the Association and the Mosman community that so much of Mosman’s individual character and landscape, its bushland and open space have survived. Other suburbs could have been like this, but bushland is vulnerable, and in far too many places it has disappeared.
Concern for the native bush continues to lead many association members and other local residents into active bush regeneration. Their work has the support and encouragement of our local representatives and council administrators. Volunteers and their council supervisors have built up excellent working relationships and a mutual belief in the value of the work they do
These values and relationships are essentially local.
It is the view of this Association that a local council supported by its local community will be significantly more effective than a distant council with little connection with the locality or the community.
Can it honestly be expected that representatives or administrators in Manly will take the same care and responsibility:
for the parks and bushland of Mosman
for the volunteers who put in the effort and hours of their time?
This applies to all Mosman’s volunteers of course, not just the bush care volunteers. Think of the Aged Care services, the Meals on Wheels, the Children Services, the Mosman Youth Group. Part of what motivates volunteers and guarantees their success is a sense of community.
But for bushland there is a particular problem. It is the concern of this Association that a large and distant council in which Mosman is under-represented, will not understand the values of bushland and open space.
Without that understanding and support, bushland is at risk of becoming degraded. If bushland is degraded and no longer has high ecological value then it risks losing the protection of its current land zoning. And then it can be rezoned for alternative use or even sold.
The community and future generations will be the losers.
Make no mistake! We are in a fight for all that we love about Mosman – for all that makes it special.
From a talk presented by MPBA Association President Kate Eccles at a public meeting organised by Mosman Against Forced Amalgamations at the Mosman Club, 8 February 2016.
Postscript:
Half way through the attempt to amalgamate Mosman with Manly and Warringah, the NSW state government decided instead to merge Mosman with North Sydney. So the Association wrote an identical submission against this new option.
