THE Friends of the Old Bega Hospital has continued to focus on rebuilding and restoring the main building to be returned to community use, president Richard Bomford said at the annual general meeting.
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“While there has been some progress, we are still a long way from actual building,” he said.
Mr Bomford outlined the steps taken by the Friends in the past year including writing to NSW Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner to consider in the review of Crown Lands to re-roofing the Old Hospital, meeting with Member for Bega Andrew Constance and meeting with Karen Fowler and Linda Barr from Crown Lands.
In March, Mr Bomford met informally with the Bega Valley Shire Mayor Bill Taylor who said the Bega Valley Shire Council supported restoration of the hospital and its continued use for community purposes but was interested in taking over a trustee role for the unrestored building, and it did not have the money to restore the building itself.
The Friends' objectives are to have the Old Bega Hospital used for community purposes.
While commercial or governmental uses of part of the site could be compatible with that, and add to the viability of the site, a wholesale transfer of the site for such purposes, even if it resulted in the restoration of the buildings, it not part of the Friends' agenda.
The Friends is putting together a strategic plan covering heritage, arts and community uses and tenure under headings such as description, context, value, vision and actions.
Mr Bomford was re-elected as president, with Liz Seckold as vice-president, Claire Lupton as secretary, Eric Meyers as treasurer and committee members Pat Jones, Jay Ellard and Tim Whitaker.