IN JULY 1945 a meeting was held in Tathra so that the townsfolk could vote on whether they should leave the Imlay Shire Council and join the Bega Municipality. The report of the meeting was in the July 14 Bega District News.
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MR C P PARBERY spoke on behalf of objecting farmers.
He, in the first place, didn't like the approach of the Bega Municipality.
If the Municipality could not alleviate Mr H Howard's high rate, how could they reasonably be expected to give a low rate on other farm lands in the area?
And it was not so much the rate as the inflated value of the lands.
He objected to the farms coming under the influence of the aldermen of Bega Council, who were all commercial men and not farmers.
Their representative on the Shire, Mr Taylor, was a farmer who had the interests of them all at heart.
He very much doubted the sincerity of Bega Council.
He contended the Bega Council was deceptive, and that was why he had taken a petition around opposing the proposal.
This was a democratic right.
He drew attention to the condition of Bega streets and the town generally, and suggested that Bega should look at itself properly before taking on anything else.
It would be in the interests of Tathra if they stayed with the Shire.
He considered that Tathra would be up to Jellat Jellat before Bega had even started.
Mr Lindsay raised a point of order on Mr Parbery's charge of deception on the part of the Bega Council.
He pointed out that the report that had been presented by the Progressive Association that night stood as a fair and unbiased presentation of the case for and against, and indisputable proof that deception had not been practised by any party in the matter.
Cr John Taylor said that he had been described as a lone wolf in the Imlay Shire Council.
That was not correct.
As representative of the end of the Shire he got full support of all councillors.
If that had not been so he could not have got what he did for Tathra, and they had got everything that had been asked for.
When, during the time of the Spooner Government, they had a grant of some 1500 pounds for improvement of the punt road he had advocated that they spend some money on altering the route and generally improving the road from the town to the beach, but the Progressive Association of the time was against the idea..
He contended that a beautiful case had been made out in the report for Imlay Shire to retain Tathra, and he exhorted then not to turn it over to Bega. (Applause).
- Read more Looking Back columns online at www.begadistrictnews.com.au/community/history/