Freewater: 'I won'
Cr Peter Freewater is pleased that dredging will be completed on the Ettalong channel before Christmas.
As council's coastal and estuary manager from 2002 to early 2008, Cr Freewater was responsible for investigating navigation concerns in the entrance channel to Brisbane Water in 2007.
Cr Freewater said he soon discovered that the channel had become dangerous and required dredging.
"In cooperation with senior council staff, the then Department of Lands and NSW Maritime, I coordinated the preparation of a dredging plan, a Review of Environmental Factors and a licence undertake the work," Cr Freewater said.
"I prepared a report to council recommending that dredging be undertaken as a matter of urgency.
"The report was backed by NSW Maritime, Lands and council's director of city services.
"However, this advice was disregarded by council.
"I soon resigned in frustration.
"I was invited to run for council in the September 2008 election and the dredging issue became one of the issues I stood for," Cr Freewater said.
"Once elected, I continued to fight council to commit to the dredging and eventually I won that fight."
Clare Graham, 9 Dec 2009
Interviewee: Cr Peter Freewater, Gosford Council