Mystery remains after 30 years

In the early 70s, the Whitlam Labor Government made money available to community groups, so a large public meeting was held at Gosford.

The upshot was that funds would be allocated to the charitable, social, sporting and cultural groups in the community and administered by two salaried officers.

In about 12 months, the funds were cut off and the remnants of the community organisations became one group centred at Wyong and Ourimbah and another, the Woy Woy Peninsula Community Group.

The group was chaired by Bill Manson and later, head of South Woy Woy Progress Association, the redoubtable Dave Abbott.

Launching pads for the Woy Woy Public Nursing Home and the St Vincents Hostel for Homeless Men were items discussed by the group.

Apart from community liaison, the major endeavours were two public meetings.

These meetings were well attended and they were held in the Meals on Wheels building at Woy Woy.

The first meeting was to discuss illegal drug use and the second meeting underage drinking.

A bazaar spin off from the underage-drinking meeting was that, as secretary of the group, I was interrogated by police at Gosford.

The purpose of the interrogation remains a mystery.

Perhaps there was an implied criticism of police by the meeting.

The group disbanded around 1984.

Keith Whitfield Woy Woy