I would like to comment on your on line item about Kiama Council comes out swinging. I can only assume that the source of this story had to emanate from either the General Manager, the Mayor, or someone very close to them. Clearly, as anyone who has followed the whole saga of the 'sale' of Blue Haven would be aware, it has been the constant position of both the General Manager and the Mayor that Blue Haven in its entirety should be sold.

At every vote on this matter taken by Council, the Mayor has voted in support of this - nothing new there. As far as I am aware, the last time Council voted on this matter was in August or September of last year, where it was determined by a 5 - 4 vote that Blue Haven Bonaira would be sold, whilst Blue Haven Terralong would be retained. This was against the advice received by Council from Stuart Brown Chartered Accountants, who recommended selling everything - oh and let's not forget, the beneficiary of that advice was Stuart Brown Advisory, who were to be retained to assist with the sale. Conflict of interest? Not according to Council staff - one wonders if they have any understanding of the meaning of that term!

Now in the last issue of the Bugle you published an article about Council's 'green shoots'. In that article it referred a supposed loss of $2.54 million accredited to Blue Haven Terralong. Now we who live here at BH Terralong knew that that could not possibly be true. On checking with a senior Council officer we were advised that the Bugle had made an error, and that the loss was the combined loss of all the components of Blue Haven, including the Nursing Home.

I would like your paper's view on this supposed error! Now we come to this most recent article - how can Council now trumpet the sale of Blue Haven Terralong when it hasn't been voted on by Council? What sort of dictatorship is the General Manager and Mayor proposing to foist on this community next? How can they possibly make this 'announcement?

I suspect this is all part of the strategy that has been long playing, where the original advice of the GM to Council was to sell everything. As it would appear that the sale process for Bonaira has stalled, lets set our sights on the jewel in the crown, Terralong, and get rid of that! It intrigues me that for more than 40 years Kiama Council has and this community, have enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship with the entity known as Blue Haven Terralong. Yet an out of towner rides in determined to smash that relationship. Once it is gone, it is gone! But I think Council might have to rethink it's legal budget for next year - I can't see it going down!

Allan Holder