Wharf safety review
I think the debate on Tathra Wharf is missing the point.
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The Bega Valley Shire Council (BVSC) that looks after the wharf for the NSW Government, has done a good job in putting in some extra rescue facilities, but nothing has been done to stop anyone from falling into the water.
Following the tragedy in November 2008, the BVSC commissioned a report from Australian Coastsafe and I show below some of the recommendations.
If these recommendations had been in place prior to the accident then those lives may not have been lost.
Having fished there many times, I don’t believe the placing of a low barrier on the face of the wharf would affect fishermen, but it would certainly give peace of mind to these fishermen if they turned their back on toddlers for a short period of time.
The council may also wish to consider the installation of seats to make tourists more comfortable on a chilly night.
Extracts below from the Coastsafe Report section 3.2.9 Introduction of Safety Barriers, Balustrading or Kick Rails
“Where access to the water or vessels is not required and where a person falling from the structure is likely to fall more than 1.5m to strike a hard surface or the seabed, a guardrail (handrail) in accordance with AS 1657 should be provided.”
“In response to the recent tragedy and the increased safety concerns for the community, and in the interests of public safety, BVSC may wish to consider the introduction of safety barriers to the face of the wharves, including:
1. Enhancements to the visibility of the edge kerb/kickguard such as high visibility paint or stripping and lighting.
2. Widening and heightening of the edge kerb/kickguard.
3. The addition of a low level guard rail on the outer edge of the kerb/kickguard
4. The continuation of the existing guardrail to include the entire outer edge of both wharves (Merimbula and Tathra), except where there are extraction ladders.”
“Recommendation: 12. Guardrails (fencing) at both Tathra and Merimbula Wharves complies with the relevant Australian Standards, however, in response to recent tragedy and the increased safety concerns for the community, Bega Valley Shire Council may wish to consider the inclusion of safety barriers at the to the face of the wharves, as in Section 3.2.9 of the report.”
The Risk Register for Tathra Wharf in the Coastsafe report (page 25) shows eight classes of risk are present at the Tathra Wharf and the potential risk treatment shows “introduction of balustrading/barrier fencing to the edge of the wharf” for all eight risk classes as a means of avoiding another tragedy.
Merimbula Wharf rates eight out of eight also.
Friends of the O’Neill family and the Brogo community call on BVSC to now consider implementing these recommendations from their own report.
They must be proactive – not reactive and wait for the next event.
Public safety is a big issue here as it is in many other situations.
We can’t just sit and wait for another tragedy and then fix it up.
Irrespective of your thoughts only one thing matters - we must keep people out of the water.
David Ubrihien
Brogo
Suspicious activity
There has been some suspicious activity and thefts in the Myrtle Mountain and Devil's Hole area.
People who live around Wyndham should watch out for a battered white 4WD ute on the more remote trails.
One local arrived home to find his trailer hitched behind that ute as he passed it on a narrow track.
He turned around and gave chase, later finding the trailer dumped in the "Cows Nest" area - the thieves long gone.
A couple of weeks earlier he had a shed broken into and various tools stolen, drills and power saw.
However, he was able to identify one of the young thieves as a person living in the Tantawanglo area and the other a person he had seen on a motorbike along the Myrtle Mountain trails acting suspiciously.
If you see these young lads call the police.
Terry Mathews
Myrtle Mountain