[Bermagui Community] Bermagui Community Forum Update - Clay Shooting Club Days Increase

[Bermagui Community Forum]

The latest news from the Bermagui Community Forum

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Bermagui Community Forum Update
In this issue

. Sporting Clays Club Application Additional Information (#Shooting)   (#Shooting)
. Whale Season Opening in Bermagui (#Whales)

Management Committee

Coordinator:                       Geoff Steel (mailto:geoffsteel1 at bigpond.com)
Deputy Coordinator:      Narelle Myers
Phil Coates
Fergus McWhirter
David Monro
Bill Southwood

The Bermagui Sporting Clays Club has advised the Community Forum that they didn’t believe we were even handed in our coverage in the last newsletter of their application to Council for 12 additional shooting days - Council Agenda item 8.1 at their upcoming meeting on 4 August.

In the interests of providing a balanced view, we requested that the primary affected parties, being Bermagui Sporting Clays Club, the Barragga Bay and Murrah residents and Four Winds each present their key points for and against the proposed 12 additional shooting days.

Bermagui Sporting Clays Club Submission
1. Bermagui Sporting Clays is the correct name of our club.( Not Gun Club )
2. The additional 12 days requested in the Council submission, is solely for safety and training purposes. No competition shooting will be permitted on these days. The reason B.S.C. need this safety and training day established is, primarily to give young and novice shooters within the Bega Valley Shire somewhere to learn the basics of shotgun shooting in a fully insured, controlled and safe environment ,without the pressures of competition, whilst under the watchful eye of fully trained coaches and supervisors.
3. BSC ( estb. 1996) is a small ,non- for- profit sporting group, endeavoring to co exist with our immediate neighbours and B.V.S.C.

Murrah River Action Group Submission

The Murrah River Action Group (MRAG) seeks to advocate for the community who live in and around the Murrah catchment on matters which affect the environment. The Bermagui Sporting Clays (Gun Club) own a small property of ridges and gullies which are part of the Murrah River’s catchment just a kilometre upstream from the Lagoon.

More than 125 residents who live within a 5km radius of the Gun Club have signed a petition to Council objecting to any increase in days when the Club meet to shoot. The signatories include farmers, business owners, new residents together with families who have lived here for generations.

Why?

Noise Pollution.
When the Club meets there can be as many as 40 members shooting 100 rounds per head. That’s 4000 shots, more than ten shots per minute for 6 hours. Currently residents close to the Club have to endure persistent shotgun fire for the best part of one Sunday a month. The relentless noise of shotgun fire also impacts on pets, stock and wildlife in the area. The Gun Club have asked BVSC for 12 extra full days, 10am-5pm for ‘Training’. In their application the Gun Club have not made clear how much actual shooting will take place during these sessions and so we, the residents, can only expect the peace of these extra Sundays to be shattered as well.

Contamination.
Over the 22 years of Clay Target Shooting a significant quantity of lead shot has been spread over the Gun Club property. Conservative estimates suggest well over 17 tonnes which the Club neither confirm or deny. Each meeting adds in excess of 70Kg of irretrievable lead to the property. The build-up of this notoriously toxic element ultimately threatens the health of the Lagoon and river flats. The Club are asking to double their activities which will naturally exacerbate the clear risk of contamination to the fishing grounds of the Lagoon, potentially by a factor of two.

Asking for ’12 extra days for the purpose of safety and training’ seems a sensible and reasonable request BUT the consequent impact on the environment, residents, stock, pets and wildlife is entirely unreasonable given the location of the Club and the nature of clay target shooting.

Four Winds Submission
1. Four Winds has a $4m arts performance venue at Barragga Bay funded by Governments and donations. They now host a year-round program of at least 35 music events, including festivals, concerts, workshops and residencies bringing thousands of tourists and income for local businesses. They have a budgeted annual turnover of $1.3m and employ 10 staff. Their reputation is at risk if artists and audiences come to the site only to find that their escape from city noise is polluted by gunshot noise.
2.  Four Winds brand is dependent on presentation in a “pristine environment”. The environment is not pristine if there is repetitive shooting noise every second weekend – there is no “half pristine”.
3. Bermagui Sporting Clays has agreed not to shoot during the main Festival at Easter, but Four Winds activities are now year-round. They have lived alongside each other and accommodated each other’s activities over many years, but doubling the number of shooting days to 24 Sundays is an unacceptable level of expansion.

If you are affected by this issue it is suggested that you write to Council (council at begavalley.nsw.gov.au (mailto:council at begavalley.nsw.gov.au) ) and/or apply to speak before the Council meeting.

There will be an official opening of the 2021 whale migration season along with many events in Bermagui on Saturday 14th August. For more information please see the Sapphire Coast website (https://facebook.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9030b531e962ad02c68a923c8&id=f1f5e55d23&e=34e977e1dc) .

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Bermagui Community Forum . 30 O'Connells Point Rd . Wallaga Lake, NSW 2546 . Australia

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