Minutes of TAPP Inc. General Meeting April 13, 2021
Held at the Caloundra Power Boat Club
All welcomed by Paul Harney President of TAPP
Paul acknowledged the traditional owners of the land on which we meet – the Kabi Kabi and Jinibara people and their elders past, present and emerging.
- Member attendance: – as per attendance book (14)
Apologies :- as per attendance book (6)
Motion put that the apologies be accepted
Moved: Carla Seconded: Ken
- Minutes of Previous Meeting
Motion put that the minutes of the March meeting be accepted as a true record of that meeting
Moved: Allan Seconded: Graham Carried
- Correspondence – Paul
* Newsletters from OSCAR, BIEPA, Pelican Waters , Golden Beach, Pelican Waters Community Association, Healthy Land and Water – who have a number of interesting projects that they are supporting. Access them through these links –
OSCAR Newsletter –https://www.oscar.org.au/ Healthy Land and Water – https://hlw.org.au/
BIEPA – https://biepa.org/
GBPWCA – http://www.goldenbeachandpelicanwaterscommunityassociationinc.com.au/
* Dr Helen Fairweather – Senior Lecturer, Environmental Engineering, at SC University indicated that she would be interested in supporting any research into sand drift along the eastern side of Bribie Island but that this would need to be funded.
* Letter from Ali King who is the State Member for Pumicestone and thereby Bribie Island falls into her jurisdiction. She requested that she be kept informed regarding the breakthrough.
* SCEC re yearly membership fees and involvement in this year’s World Environment Day
Motion put that the correspondence be endorsed and accepted.
Moved: Muriel Seconded: Ken Carried
- Treasurer’s Report – Paul
| As at 31 March 2021 | |
| Balance brought Forward from 28/02/2021 | $ 14,922.37 |
| Interest 01/03/2021 | $ .12 |
| Cash Deposit Memberships | $ 0.00 |
| Donations | $ 0,00 |
| Credits | $ 0.00 |
| Transfers for Pumicestone Catchment Convergence Reimbursements to HLW | $ 4,220.00 |
| Bank Transaction Fees | $ 4.00 |
| Balance as at 31/03/2021 | $ 10,698.49 |
Financial Membership: 40 as at 31/03/2021
Motion put that this report be accepted as a true record of our account to date:
Moved: Carla Seconded: Grahame Carried
- Matters for Information
Open Consultation re Shelley Beach Coastal Study – Carla/ Grahame
Nine different Community groups with interest in the area walked along Shelly Beach with Bill Hadrill, Chief Strategy Officer at SC Council, and an independent consultant.
Carla along with Jude, John and 5 other members of WPSQ walked along the space and discussed the concerns that Wildlife Preservation had with the deteriorating environment and of course the concerns with the residents preserving their views at the cost of the environment. The message from Council was to expect compromise.
Graham and one other represented the Caloundra Residents Association discussed the complete lack of governance in Council’s decision to remove the shade cloth along the fence-line at the end of William Street. It wasted a lot of ratepayers’ money and there was no reason given for the decision. There were two petitions – one with about 70 signatures and one with about 2000 signatures and Council chose to act on the petition with the lesser number. The ‘study’ is still going on with the next step being discussions with “specialists”.
Update on the Pumicestone Passage Local Management Body – Ken/Grahame
Application for Registration of the Association has gone in and a reply is expected in a couple of weeks. Once this is in place the group can go about getting membership. The second current issue is the development of a media plan. Talks with significant Govt. bodies are continuing.
There is some indication that there was an advisory group active 50 years ago. Ken will continue to investigate this. TAPP supports this group in its continued effort to create a Pumicestone Passage Local Management Body.
TS Onslow Update– Di/Erica
Di and Erica go to the site weekly to maintain the growth of the plants. They weed and trim as needed. They will replant the southern tip that was washed away in January. The heights of the bushes are being kept in check.
The mangroves are growing in the sweet spots. There are still a lot of mangroves, which are being pulled out and trampled. We hope to rejuvenate the site with the Gubbi-Gubbi planting more mangroves in clumps where we know that the sweet spots are.
Shared Council Revegetation Project – Carla
Council approached TAPP concerning the revegetation of an area along Golden Beach south of Bills Boats. Initially it was to be a TAPP project but Council has requested that we form a Bush Care group. The application has been lodged for this and Council will let us know in the coming weeks if we are successful with our application.
Ten people initially volunteered to be a part of this bush-care group but we can have more or less, as time goes on. When we are accepted, we will determine a day that will suit us. A Council officer will then be assigned to our group and we will be inducted and supervised when we meet to plant and weed the designated areas.
Caloundra Community Hub- Paul/Carla/Ken
Rotary Caloundra is instigating this push to set up an Information Centre for the Caloundra area. An initial meeting will be held on 14 April and Ken and Carla will attend. The hub will be where the old Tourist Information Centre was near the roundabout at Caloundra Road and Nicklin Way. If it is successful, it will be an avenue for TAPP to inform the public about the Passage.
MSQ representative to speak at our May TAPP Meeting. – Carla
Ben Bosschieter from Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ) will be coming to our meeting in May to answer our questions concerning the Passage. He will let us know what the regulations are in regard to speed, live-aboards, effluent and what boats and jet skis can and can’t do. He will be happy to answer questions and take note of our concerns.
New TAPP Stickers – Ken
We will have new stickers printed by “Sticker Man” They are always very supportive of Community Groups and they often give us discounts.
Motion moved that we give Sticker-man a Certificate of Appreciation for their continual support of our group.
Moved:Paul Seconded:Lissa Carried
Convergence follow up – Carla /Ken/Paul
The presentations from the Convergence will be placed on our website for all to access. The process is quite long and arduous. Gary Britland from F8 Media has offered to do this for us free despite the fact that this will take a lot of his time. There were a number of questions asked at the Convergence which are still being answered by those who are able. We could still be waiting a couple of weeks for this to be finalized and available on our website.
Paul is keen to have the media involved in a follow up to the Convergence with the local television stations perhaps doing a series on the Passage and the Convergence outcomes.
Carla brought along the Timeline of the Pumicestone Passage that was put together with Wildlife Preservation Society Qld. for the Convergence. John Groves kindly scanned it onto a USB and it has been uploaded to our website. If we want to keep the hard copy we will need to laminate it – otherwise it will deteriorate.
Tony has been doing research into the history of the Northern end of Bribie Island and will keep us informed.
SC Council purchasing significant sites – Ken/Carla
SC Council has let us know that they were in touch with the selling agents of the Roy’s farm on Roy’s Road along Coochin Creek and the Passage. We are still hoping for a good outcome there but we have not heard any news yet.
World Earth Hour – Ken
About seven TAPP members came together for a drink, nibbles and good conversations. The group dispersed early and was able to turn off lights at home.
Update of TAPP Members
We now have 40 members of TAPP and there are 4-5 Membership queries from the website.
Burpengary Development
The North Harbour Development is a Priority Development (PDA) and this means that the State Govt. takes control. Members of BIEPA are opposing it. It will have an effect on the Passage.
There is also a PDA for North Pine River. Not zoned presently which means developers can apply directly to State Govt., instead of going through a local Council.
- Matters for Discussion
Meeting with Jason Hunt MP Member for Caloundra – Paul
- The inter-urban break – Jason is in agreement with this.
- Duplicating the highway on the eastern side – will not be an issue for some time but Jason will continue to argue that it be built on the western side of the existing highway.
- Halls Creek – Jason was advised that it was preferable to leave the site on the SEQ Regional Plan – that this will offer it some sort of protection.
- CAMCOS – TAPP is requesting that extra funds be set aside to protect the wetland (i.e. that the corridor is raised to allow water to continue to flow in the area) when the planning is taking place.
- A ranger on the Passage- Jason is looking for some sort of leverage to bargain for this.
- Speed limits on the Passage – TAPP exec to write to him re our concerns. TAPP to take Jason for a boat trip along the Passage so he can have a better idea of the issues.
- Bribie Breakthrough – Jason is working to get Sel Sultmann (Dept. of Environment and Science – DES) here to have a closed and/or open meeting with the Public to discuss this issue. We have been in constant contact with Sel Sultmann and Mike Ronan (DES) about this but we have had no response yet.
- Passage as a Ramsar site – Jason will be running a grant application process called CAP, and he encouraged us to apply for this. It would enable us to produce a brochure explaining Ramsar and its implications here on the Passage. TAPP will also explore placing a tourist sign on the highway advising that the Passage is a Ramsar site.
- Pump out facility on the Passage – Jason will contact Terry Landsberg about this.
- Local Authority for the Passage – The steering committee will keep working with him on this.
The Sunshine Coast Council has “Have your Say” surveys on their website, which are always good to keep an eye on. Presently you can have your say on the ‘mass transport survey’. OSACAR is putting a submission in to Council regarding this.
There is also an issue regarding the road going through Ben Bennet Park, It will be link road between Caloundra City and the Nicklin Way. The initial plan was for this road to take 7-8 metres off the Memorial Grounds at the RSL. The present plan is to take two metres off the garden at the RSL. WPSQ have been in discussion with Council about minimizing the impact on the park during construction.
Bribie Island wash-over –Paul
There are a large number of people visiting the site – it is becoming a tourist destination. There is a sign placed there by Parks and Wildlife but this is being ignored. Many boats are mooring on the site and people are trampling over the roots of the pandanus holding the sand. We encourage everyone to write to Parks and Wildlife to urge them to do more to protect this site.
There was an article on the Channel Seven News about the wash-over along the northern tip of Bribie Island on Tuesday 13 April.
Bells Creek Erosion Project – Carla /Paul
SC Council and Healthy Land and Water are keen to begin this project – funds earmarked for this project need to be assigned before June. We will see if we can organise a meeting this week to try to move things along.
World Environment Day (WED) – Sat 26th June – Ken/Paul
TAPP was approached by SC Environment Council (SCEC) to commit to an event for WED, which will be held over the period of the month of June this year. We submitted an expression of interest to hold an event at TS Onslow. The theme for WED this year is Restoration and Rejuvenation so our TS Onslow project was perfect.
We have approached a number of local Community Groups to see if they would like to join us at TS Onslow on the day. Wildlife Preservation South Queensland (WPSQ) is happy to be involved and they will set up a stall and conduct a mangrove walk through the southern section of the site. Bob Cullen will come along and assist us but the Justice Group will not set up a stall. Night Eyes will confirm their involvement after they have met, Golden Beach, Pelican Waters Community Association will also let us know after they have met. Pelican Waters, Golden Beach and Diamond Head Neighbourhood Watch are supportive. The Onslow cadets may be keen to be involved. The Caloundra Coast Guard will also be invited. We will continue to be in touch with the groups and SCEC.
Grants Requiring an ABN– Ken/Carla
During any year, a number of grants are available to us, some of which seem to require us to have an ABN. There is some concern that our insurance, as a not for profit organization, will be in jeopardy if we get an ABN. We will need to investigate this.
Carla has inquired with the Aust. Tax Office to see what is needed for us to get an ABN. The first step is to get a tax file number, which we are now in the process of doing.
- Around the Table
Jude – (in an email to TAPP )
- WPSQ is funding this year’s Junior Wildlife Arts Prize. Would TAPP members also like to contribute to this prize?
Motion put that TAPP contribute $50 to the Junior Wildlife Art Prize this year.
Moved: Carla Seconded: Grahame Carried
- A new community group is campaigning to reduce the impact of the planned road through the Ben Bennet Park and along Third Avenue and Oval Avenue then across Bicentennial Park to the CBD. There is a concern with drainage issues – as this road will affect the flow of the water from Ben Bennet Park into Pumicestone Creek and then the Passage. There has been some media coverage (ABC Sunshine Coast radio and WIN News). The group is called Value Caloundra Community and this is their face-book page.
https://www.facebook.com/valuecaloundra/posts/116743757182532
- WPSQ will support TAPP at WED on Sat 26 June. They will also rerun the Shelly Beach Wildlife Stall on Sun 13 June and be accompanying Currimundi Catchment Group at Bancroft’s Red Gum Reserve on Sat 12 June.
Tony – Royal Life Saving Society will be sponsoring a Migrant Swimming Program for migrant non/poor swimmers in the Sunshine Coast.
John G– brought in many great old photos of the Passage showing the width of Bribie in the past.
Muriel – Thanks to Ken who gave a well presented talk about the Passage to the Church Group in the Morning.
Lissa – has been snorkeling in the Passage and saw a ball of eel tailed catfish. There is an abundance of fish in the Passage at the moment.
Paul thanked everyone for coming and closed the meeting at 4.17
Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 11 May at 3.00 pm at the Caloundra Power Boat Club.