Kiama council bureaucracy - what would Winsome think?

It is true as reported in The Bugle September 23, 2023 that Winston Barker was the inspiration for the Roses in Peace Park. Winsome contacted me around 2003 and I agreed that the Illawarra Rose Society, of which I was then president, would supply the roses for the Park.

The innovative Buy a Brick scheme was Winsome‘s idea of the proceeds going to much of the early work of developing the park. This no longer happens as Kiama Council for the past few years has retained all the funds generated from the sale of the bricks. The park receives nothing.

A small group of volunteers from the Illawarra Rose society and Kiama Garden Club maintain the park.

As it has been predicted to be a very hot summer the roses in the park will need watering at least twice a week.

We recently received a small community grant through the Federal member for Gilmour for equipment. Currently we bring our own equipment including a hose to the park each week. We had planned to use part of the Grant to have a small storage facility similar to what the softball players have at Chapman Point where we could leave tools and things such as a hose fertiliser and sprays. This would be at no cost to Council. So many conditions were placed by Council that it is impossible for us to proceed. Indeed we are considering our future involvement with the park. The final Indignity was if we met all the conditions and had the storage facility we would have to pay a lease of $520 each year to council. This just to store our equipment to improve a council facility.

To say we were amazed at this bureaucratic response is an understatement. Just as Winsome was outraged when I told her about Council holding onto all the money from the sale of the bricks earlier this year. I know she would share the surprise of the volunteers who give their time and equipment each week to enhance our local attraction.

Colin Hollis