Friends
of Rapid Bay Jetty
Press
Release – 3rd March 2005
Huge public and high profile support to save the Rapid Bay Jetty as Friends group wins right to attend future stakeholder meetings with government.
Over 200 people attended the public meeting on Wednesday 2nd March, showing their support for retaining the Rapid Bay Jetty. The meeting was chaired by Rod Payze, President of the SA National Football League, and attended by Yankalilla District Council’s CEO Roger Sweetman and Transport SA’s Chief Executive Tim O’Loughlin. The jetty falls within the area governed by Yankalilla District Council and is owned by Transport S.A.
Speakers revealed significant ecological, social and economic benefits associated with retaining the jetty.
Rapid
Bay is one of the few places in Australia where the protected Leafy Sea Dragon can
be seen in its natural habitat without a boat, and provides some of the best
jetty fishing in the state – a favourite fishing and diving spot, which
attracts many tourists.
An
unofficial figure of $3M was said to be the cost of restoring the jetty.
The jetty currently brings in up to $1M of income to the area per year and hence is economically viable from a regional development perspective. Many made reference to its potential earning capacity as a tourism icon in the future and suggested it might sustain tourism development and an underwater viewing platform.
The
State Government is evaluating a number of options, and members of the Friends
of Rapid Bay Jetty group have been invited to attend the relevant Transport SA
meetings concerning the jetty’s future.
A
motion was put forward by those present at the meeting calling upon the
Governments of Australia and especially of South Australia, to commit now to a
full restoration and maintenance of the Rapid Bay Jetty within a 3 year period.
The meeting passed the motion unanimously.
Yankalilla
Area Commerce & Community Association Inc (YACCA) and Friends of Rapid Bay
Jetty will be rallying to make this issue a focus of Cabinet.
In
addition, over 2500 people have signed a petition requesting that works be
undertaken to reopen public access to the full length of the jetty and to ensure
long term viability of this valuable State asset. This petition was presented to
Roger Sweetman at the meeting by the Friends of Rapid Bay Jetty.
Latest
information is available at:
http://www.rapidbayjetty.org/