Press Releases

Monday 22nd March 2010

CCARP SLAMS AVOCA GROUP FOR WITHOLDING “BEACH EROSION” REPORT

The Central Coast Artificial Reef Project (CCARP) today fired a broadside at the Avoca Residents Group for withholding “reports” that the Avoca Group said it had.

“These protestors do like to keep things close to their chest… and not available for public scrutiny” said Sue Dengate, the Secretary of CCARP.
“The Department of Lands has been asking this group for these alleged beach erosion reports (if they exist) for the last two months but nothing has been forthcoming” said Ms Dengate. “Are these alleged reports just another scare tactic out of the Avoca group’s box of tricks”. “You either put up or shut up if you want the respect of Australians - Perhaps it is time they shut up.” Said Sue Dengate

CCARP would also like to list FACTS about the Adelaide and its imminent sinking

  1. The waves and wave action on Avoca Beach will NOT be altered. Independent water hydraulics analysis has been conducted as part of the environmental assessment to confirm that the chosen site would have no impact in the waves and beach.
  2. The protesters then claimed that there was some sort of conspiracy by the government trying to hide the Avoca site by saying it was Terrigal. “We have at least 11 examples of statements printed in several Central Coast newspapers since 2002 that specifically mention Avoca” Dengate said. “Anyway, Terrigal is where the divers would have to go to board boats to get to the artificial reef. The last thing that Avoca residents would want is tourists mistakenly coming to Avoca to go to the Adelaide and then having to find their way to Terrigal” Said Sue Dengate.
  3. The protesters then claimed that the Adelaide would pollute Avoca Beach and the rock pool where their children play, claiming that PCBs were on board. “Four members of the Avoca group were allowed on board to see the cleanup for themselves. Afterward, Quinton Riley said that ‘you could eat your dinner of it’. All wastes, antifreeze, coolants, batteries, halocarbons, components containing mercury, zinc anodes, uncoated copper cabling, cadmium, black or grey water, asbestos, radioactive materials have been removed” Dengate said.
  4. # 4 - The protesters have also claimed that sinking a vessel for an artificial reef is not allowed anywhere in the world, so why is Australia allowing it “The protesters themselves on a tour of the Adelaide last week were constantly referring to the Canadian Sea Dumping Act as the benchmark for the world. So this claim, by their own admission is yet another falsehood” Said Dengate

The Avoca group in my opinion fall into 3 categories –

  1. The Emotional Terrorist  - the ring leaders who fabricate stories with the express purpose of stopping a project that will give so much to the Central Coast
  2. The Misguided Masses – those who follow the emotional terrorists because they have a loud voice and manage to sound so convincing with their falsehoods
  3. The Dangerous Few – these are a minority within the protest group who started off by painting graffiti on Avoca Drive (an illegal act) and are finishing off by threatening violence (a criminal act) to one of our group who appeared on the ABC Stateline programme in support of the Adelaide project.

These are the sort of people that are giving Avoca residents a VERY bad name” said Dengate
“The Central Coast will have a wonderful educational, recreational and ecologically sound tourist attraction that will benefit not only the local economy, but the economy of Australia” Ms Dengate said

For further information please call Sue Dengate on: Ph. 0417 028286

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