Suggested process was followed

I note Barry Parker's comments in the last issue of Peninsula News that a new logo should be commissioned for Woy Woy "with key people in the community investigating what is unique about the Peninsula, using a cross section of the community".

This is in fact the process that took place five years ago when I was appointed marketing consultant to the Woy Woy Village Renewal Committee and undertook three solid months of consultation with all key stakeholders in the future of Woy Woy.

The Woy Woy Village Renewal Committee consisted of representatives from Council, community groups, property developers, business owners, urban planners, property owners and other key interest groups.

Together we held individual consultations and group presentations to build an information database, including investigating what is unique about the Peninsula, ascertain the values of the community, and developing a marketing strategy for the Woy Woy Village area that would not only do the area justice, but would be most effective in attracting the participation of major influences necessary to the revitalisation process.

This project, together with a simultaneous urban planning consultancy, resulted in a vision for the area that received enthusiastic support from all key groups consulted.

Contrary to Barry Parker's implication, I do not believe that the results of this long and intricate process are redundant now that five years have passed.

The "revolution" that the Peninsula is undergoing with new developments at Ettalong and the new ferry were in fact issues that were current at the time of the consultation process and were integral to the development of the marketing strategy.

Barry Parker appears to be unaware of the progress that has been made over the past five years as a result of the Woy Woy Village Renewal project and other related committees.

One only has to look at the developments at the wharf, the playground, the Bayview renovation, Gnostic Forest, the Tibco building, Cjays, the backpacker accommodation and more to see that tangible benefits have been achieved.

In response to Barry Parker's comments on the logo design, I would like to counter his suggestion that the logo is "generic" and "dated".

While the logo was developed as a result of a competition, it was designed by professional artists to represent a unique concept that is supportive of the desired positioning for the town.

Typographically, the logo has a freedom and vibrancy that will not date and through colour and movement represents the elements that I understood the people of Woy Woy to most love about their town.

Barbara Ketley, Woy Woy