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It was a full house for the Port Macquarie-Hastings council meeting on Wednesday night, as concerned residents descended the chamber in a show of disapproval for the way the washed up whale on Nobby’s Beach has so far been handled.
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Owner of surf school, Soul Surfing, Corey Enfield, presented to council over 3000 signatures collected since Monday, pleading with council for further action to deal with the whale carcass after it was buried at the back of the beach following a number of attempts to tow it out to sea.
Before the council meeting Mr Enfield was hopeful that council would remove the carcass as a result of the heightened and continued community interest in the issue.
“Basically we are presenting to council to show the level of community angst to the whale situation,” Mr Enfield said.
“We are going to present some alternatives – what we want to happen to the whale, and that is for it to be removed, and we won’t stop until that happens,” he said.
Mr Enfield said the community uproar was not unexpected given the whales proximity to town and the “perceived evidence of potential shark problems into the future”.
“If the whale is not removed we will have no option but to keep pressure on council – everything is at stake, lives, businesses and the community.”
During the council meeting, General Manager Craig Swift-McNair said council had spent Wednesday talking to contractors, saying “We are in discussions about what is possible” and that there would be measures taken “reasonably quickly” in the coming days.
Mr Swift-McNair also stated that council were not concerned about the cost, so much as how to go about finding a solution, passing a motion to authorise the General Manager funds to address the whale situation on Nobby’s Beach as necessary.
Council have now announced that beaches will re open this weekend and will deploy drones to ensure beach-goes remain safe in the water.
“In considering the surf lifesaving flags going up on our local beaches this weekend, school holidays and safe beach access more generally, Council have arranged for a Surf Life Saving NSW specialist drone to be deployed for a period from Saturday morning to ensure safety during the school holiday period.”
“Councillors and staff have listened to the concerns of the community and we are committed to working closely with the relevant experts agencies, local contractors and community leaders to find a solution,” said General Manager Mr Swift-McNair.
