Courageous foreshore decision

I understand the Ettalong War Memorial Club has agreed to contribute $300,000 dollars to help fund the Ettalong Beach Foreshore Plan of Management.

This plan deals with the foreshore at Ettalong which is community land.

To expedite development, I understand the club has offered to pay consultants to prepare design plans for approval by council.

It is hard to envisage how these plans can be seen to be independent when they have been formulated by the club's own consultants.

Surely there has to be a clear conflict of interest for council in supporting such a process.

It is also interesting to consider the commercial factors considered by the directors of the Ettalong Beach War Memorial Club in agreeing to contribute $300,000 to a council project on public land, especially in the light of the financial challenges the club faces.

Last year profit was down 36 per cent at $1.1 million in advance of the introduction of increased taxes on gaming machine revenues and the impact of no-smoking requirements.

The contribution of $300,000 also far exceeds the amount shown in the club's accounts for the year ended June 30, 2004, as paid by the club to community development and support - $124,860.

Clearly the directors are making a very courageous commercial decision to expend member funds in making this contribution to Gosford Council.

Michael Gillian, Ettalong Beach