LETTERS: Council never pretended ferry plans were perfect
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
WE DID OUR VERY BEST TO PREPARE THE COMMUNITY
THE first dry-docking of the Daintree Ferry in more than a decade was a huge success. A small team of boilermakers, water blasters and labourers worked with the ferry contractors around-the-clock to make sure the vessel returned to the Daintree River within five days. This mammoth undertaking and dogged commitment to the community cannot be overstated. Even our Federal member expected the works to take up to 10 days.
I would like to thank those individuals and businesses who answered Douglas Shire Council’s and ferry contractors call for assistance with interim travel arrangements. These included shuttle buses, a passenger ferry, a single-vehicle barge and security for parked vehicles. Our Emergency Services stepped up in a huge way during this temporary closure period and put measures in place to ensure the community was in safe hands. They did an outstanding job.
A vast majority of the community banded together to shrug off this unexpected inconvenience. I would like to sincerely thank those people – businesses and residents - for their unwavering patience and flexibility during the mandatory closure period. One of the charms of rural and remote communities is they take life’s unexpected events in their stride. They are resilient and stand strong during tough times, whether it is a cyclone, flood or five-day ferry closure. Many tour operators were happy with the arrangements and even reported increased cassowary sightings due to the decreased traffic.
Council dedicated considerable resources to put extensive plans, over and above contractual requirements, in place since it was advised of the out-of-water requirement before Christmas. Despite some reports, Council did not, and could not have known about the dry-dock requirement in 2013. Suggestions that the region was in “complete chaos” during the closure are completely untrue. Council did it’s very best to prepare the community for the temporary closure and provide an adequate notice period under the circumstances. Council never pretended that these plans were perfect and was always open to additional, practical logistics recommended by ratepayers. In fact, many measures were added after Council engaged with the community.
Councillors and I attended community meetings north of the Daintree River and Mossman to listen to concerns from residents and business owners. One of the most satisfying aspects was working with the Daintree community in the weeks leading up to the closure and watching these conversations lead to tangible outcomes. That co-operation was heartening to see.
Douglas Shire Council looks forward to maintaining and further strengthening an honest and transparent relationship with ratepayers.
Douglas Shire Council Mayor Julia Leu
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