Peninsula sell-off protests attract 'a great turn-up'
Protests against the proposed sell-off of Council-owned parks on the Peninsula have attracted 60-80 people on each of the last two Saturdays.
The protests were held at 83-85 Brisbane Ave, Umina, on Saturday, May 8, and at 23 and 23A Memorial Dr, Blackwall, on Saturday, May 15 - both blocks that are on the council's proposed sale list.
Organisers of the rallies described them as having "a great turn-up".
Speakers at both protests spoke of the need for shaded open space on the Peninsula for recreation and to address the "heat island" effect which made the Peninsula's suburbs the hottest on the Coast.
Others spoke of the value of the remnant vegetation both as habitat and as a seed bank for future tree planting.
The speakers on May 8 included Member for Gosford Ms Liesl Tesch, Grow Urban Shade Trees group members Ms Jenny Wilder and Ms Leslie Harvey and Central Coast School Strike 4 Climate organiser Ethan Hill from Brisbane Water Secondary College.
Other speakers included representatives of the Central Coast's Community Environment Network and the Wires wildlife rescue service, Sue Chidgey, Kay Williams, Jake Cassar and Tim Selwyn.
Speakers on May 15 included Australian Conservation Foundation Central Coast branch representative Mr Norm Harris, as well as representatives of GUST, CEN and Wires.
Both protests started with an Aboriginal smoking ceremony.
Participants at both protests decorated the trees with paper hearts as a token of their love for the trees and to express their hope that they will survive.
Organisers of the rallies described them as having "a great turn-up".
SOURCE:
Social media, 8 May 2021
Mark Ellis, ACFCC
(and others)