After 26 years of honouring its objectives “to protect the existing environmental, social and cultural features of Kangaroo Valley and the community living there”, Kangaroo Valley Community Association Inc (KVCA) members have voted to wind up the organisation, in the hope that a more moderate Shoalhaven Council and the new Community Consultative Body (KVCCB) will take on this role.
Founded in 1996 by 12 residents who had a view that Kangaroo Valley was at a crossroads with potential overdevelopment, the organisation has had a major impact on the Valley in subsequent years. Those 12 members increased to around 100 activists at the group’s peak. From major State government proposals to developers who saw only dollars, not beauty, in Kangaroo Valley, KVCA was there to challenge what members and the community saw as detrimental to the Valley.
A State government proposal to raise Tallowa Dam by seven to ten metres would have seen water backed up as far as the Friendly Inn when the (new) dam was full. Thousands of mature trees along the Kangaroo River would have drowned. Direct approaches to the State government and a major presentation at a public meeting in the Valley demonstrated the effects a dam raising would have on the community and changed the Government’s mind.
The proposed enormous Colys development on Mt Scanzi Road was defeated by the community with KVCA’s leadership. Not only was the proposal a serious overdevelopment, but KVCA research showed the developer had a string of incomplete developments across the Illawarra. Again, a community public meeting demonstrated to Council that this proposal was not welcome in Kangaroo Valley.
A feedlot proposal for 999 animals (just short of the 1000 that would trigger EPD regulation) which had been given tacit Council approval met with strong community resistance, with KVCA again doing the research.
There were so many more! KVCA did not interfere with most legitimate private housing development applications – it was only of interest to KVCA when local planning guidelines or zones were being disregarded.
All this campaigning took hours of work, and special thanks must go to John Skidmore and Keith Learn, who from the first meeting took on this task. They were later joined by Peter Wesley-Smith, and the three continued to do the research and write the objections.
There are too many people who undertook special tasks over 26 years to thank them individually. From Tim Milford, first President, to Barbara Woodney, the last, KVCA has been led by committed local residents. We hope the KV community will support the KVCCB and we will be available to provide history and help in future ‘battles’.
Barbara Woodney
