A paddle out protest against the almost $11 million proposal, funded by the State Government, to upgrade and expand the facilities at Killalea State Park is hoping to break the world record of 511 participants.

While not located in the Kiama LGA, the Park has a special status with many locals, particularly our surfing community, who still refer to it as The Farm.

The Save Killalea Alliance, with the backing of the Surf Rider Foundation, has organised a protest paddle-out to coincide with community consultations happening on site.

“The community engagement meetings have limited attendance and there is no open forum where all of us can collectively hold them to account to ask questions and hear their answers,” says John Davey, committee member of the Save Killalea Alliance.

“That is why we are having a public protest on site when Reflections are there.

“They’ve actually missed an opportunity to engage with the community and find common ground because there are a lot of people who believe there has to be some improvement and enhancement of Killalea. I’m one of them, but they have alienated us with their proposal.”

Reflections Holiday Parks was established in 2013 as a not-for-profit, self-funding Crown Land manager (originally know as NSW Crown Holiday Parks). It was made the manager of Killalea in 2016, taking over from a community-based trust.

Its proposal would see 15 eco-luxury cabins, a multifunction centre, 53 fully serviced campsites, walking trails, a playground and outdoor recreational equipment, built on a small but prominent area of the 260ha site.

Protesters say the problem with the development is not only its size and agenda but the way in which Reflections has set out to upgrade the area. Community engageent wasn’t asked for until recently.

Reflections has 37 coastal and inland holiday parks and 22 public recreation parks under its management, but protesters don’t believe Killalea should be one of them. They say its special environmental status makes it more like a national park than a holiday park.

“The overarching drive for the paddle-out is to take back the trust role from Reflections and turn it back into a community-based trust,” says Chris Homer, Chair of the Killalea National Surfing Reserve Committee.

He says the community believes that the proposal by Reflections fails to satisfy community expectations in their role as land manager, and that it does not fit in with the 1998 Killalea State Park Plan of Management.

This states that the reserve’s ‘primary role is to provide for a variety of recreation and nature study opportunities, primarily day use, but with some camping and lowkey accommodation, consistent with protection and enhancement of natural, cultural and scenic values.’

“The development is really not in the best interest of the community and it’s a major development proposal based on revenue making,” says Mr Homer.

“There are many holistic ways to generate revenue that fall in line with what the park represents which is the surf, the environment, outdoor recreation, not weddings and functions.”

Kiama local, Darin Sullivan, took part in the 2010 campaign to save Killalea from development by the Labor Government, as the local representative of the Fire Brigade Employees Union. He is also part of the campaign this time to push back the proposal.

“As a community person, we want to keep these Crown land areas and beaches as pristine as possible and, from an environment point of view, we can’t just let these things steamroll through without question,” he says.

“I’ve got concerns and I want to find out more about it so I will be going along to the community meeting to hear what the organisers have to say about it.”

The Bugle approached Reflections Holiday Parks and the Minister responsible, John Barilaro, for comment.

The paddle-out is on Saturday 1 May, The Farm, Killalea State Park, 10am.

More information on the Reflections proposal here or look for the Save The Farm, no tourist development for Killalea State Park group on facebook