The sale of Blue Haven Bonaira, originally set to be finalised in December 2024, will now be discussed at an Extraordinary Meeting of Kiama Council on 6 March 2025, with a request to extend the settlement deadline to 31 March.

For some, the sale represents the long-awaited solution to Kiama Council’s financial struggles.

For others, it remains an irreversible loss, a breaking of trust, and a reminder that the community’s voice was not enough to hold onto something that was once a source of pride.

The decision to sell Blue Haven Bonaira divided Kiama from the start.

Former mayors, union leaders, and residents fought to keep it in community hands, believing its value could never be measured in dollar terms.

Council, under mounting financial pressure, argued that there was no other way forward.

The latest delay adds another chapter to a saga that has left past councillors and staff at the centre of relentless blame and scrutiny.

Some walked away, others stayed, but all have carried the weight of a fractured community.

For the families of Blue Haven Bonaira residents, this has never just been about finances.

It has been about trust, continuity, and the fear that care will become just another business transaction. Staff, many of whom have spent decades looking after those in their care, now face an uncertain future.

Council will move into a confidential session to discuss the proposed extension, as required under the Local Government Act 1993, due to the commercial sensitivity of the negotiations.

The sale may bring financial relief, but for those who fought to keep Blue Haven Bonaira, the real cost was never just financial.