Mingaletta may get Umina hall

Gosford Council officers have recommended that council offer the Mingaletta Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation management of Umina Beach Community Hall.

Mother Natures Parent Club Inc handed management of the hall back to council in April of this year, as it had been closed since January as a result of a fire in the kitchen.

A Council staff report stated that repair works would likely be completed over the next month and a half.

The report stated: "Mingaletta Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation are currently housed in Umina Library, where they are leasing space from Gosford Council

"The space is insufficient for their needs and they have been seeking alternative accommodation.

"This need for alternative accommodation is made more urgent by proposals to review the current library facility at Umina."

The council report stated that the Mingaletta Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation were a "well respected corporation" who were currently tenants of Gosford Council.

It stated that "their need for accommodation could be met by them taking on the role of managing Umina Hall".

"It is proposed that Mingaletta would manage the facility under an occupancy agreement, the same agreement under which Mother Nature group operated.

"The hall would still be able to be used by a diverse range of community groups from Umina and surrounding areas.

"However greater access by the Aboriginal community may be realised, creating a more inclusive community".

Council agenda COM.18, 24 Jul 2007