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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CR JOHN Taylor asked how could Bega do for Tathra what it couldn't do for itself?
Mr W H Balmain spoke briefly from the point of view of the tourist traffic and its potential in the post-war period. He contended that Tathra would be better served under the bigger Bega scheme now being inaugurated under the regional development idea. He thought that Tathra, from the tourist trade point of view, would eventually be better served by coming within the control of the bigger body.
Mr G Lindsay, secretary of the Progressive Association, said that the value of Cr Taylor's work on behalf of Tathra was not even remotely questioned. The future development of Tathra under the Bega Council would undoubtedly give them greater facilities than they had at present.
Had the association's examination of the case shown that there would be any hardship to the intervening landowners the idea would have lapsed. Under Bega Council they would have three representatives instead of one as at present.
Mr J T Rogers considered that apparently they had not explored the advantages to be gained by coming in as an urban area. They should consider that aspect, for under that they would actually govern themselves.
Ald F R Zingel pointed out that Bega Council did not suggest the idea of Tathra amalgamating with the municipality.
He wanted to raise a voice to refute the suggestion of Mr Parbery that Bega Council was acting in an underhand way in the matter.
Bega had been approached by the Tathra Progressive Association and had given it favourable consideration.
The matter of whether they would not come into the Municipality rested mainly with the Tathra people.
Cr Butcher said that if Tathra did not get what was necessary for them from Imlay they only had themselves to blame, as they did not always press their claims. He said that Bega was only a small place compared with Imlay and it should be Imlay that was taking over Bega, instead of the reverse proposal.
Mr Martin contended that whether or not the motion be defeated the noise they had made brought some results as Council's road implements were getting busy around the place lately.
The chairman then put the motion, which, on a show of hands, was overwhelmingly defeated.
