Boaties take their fight to Airlie main street

Fiery fisherman Bob Spees says the person who wins the state seat of Whitsunday will have “just enough time to sober up” before they’re bombarded by the fishing fraternity.

Saturday’s rally attracted more than 60 boaties who hitched their boat trailers to their utes and took their fight to the main street of Airlie Beach.

“If something is not done, a child or someone is going to get seriously injured or even die,” Mr Spees fired.

Mr Spees joins scores of other fishermen including Proserpine’s Lindsay Dobe in their fight for better, safer access to the water.

Some three weeks ago, hundreds of community members attended a meeting where they heard from current member for Whitsunday Jan Jarratt, candidates for the state seat LNP’s Jason Costigan and Katter’s Australia Party’s Amanda Camm and Deputy Mayor Rogin Taylor who tried explaining issues with public liability insurance with Port of Airlie’s marina.

Cr Taylor again spoke at Saturday’s heightened protest to which he was howled down by the crowd.

“I attacked him heavily,” said Mr Spees. “I cannot say I am sorry because the stories just have to stop. Why does the council continually want to argue with us?

“The town has major problems. The infrastructure is not right – it’s not just the fishing industry it’s the whole place. Fishermen don’t come here just to stand on the bank and look at the lovely view of the water. They want to get in there and at the moment it’s bloody dangerous,” he said.

Mr Spees said what fired him up was Cr Taylor’s comments that Port of Airlie would be opening in two weeks.

“We are sick of the stories. There is no chance of this thing opening up in two weeks. These photos will prove it to everyone. It needs to be dredged. At best it will be another month before it opens.

Deputy Mayor Rogin Taylor, who spoke with the Guardian late yesterday afternoon moments after stepping out of a meeting with four key decision makers at Port of Airlie had good news to share.

“Council is going to be delivering the required fill or cover to finalise the temporary carpark. Not the final because the final will be a concrete finish. This is just to get it open immediately.

“Port of Airlie will be placing up the fence barriers to exclude the parking areas from the rest of the construction site and the mud that has concerned people will be removed at the next extreme low tide by Warren Transport excavators.

“All this is to happen and it should - providing there is no unforeseen circumstances - be open by not this coming weekend but the following weekend.

Cr Taylor said he understood the boaties anger on Saturday.

“I was the only the messenger … I am working with them not against them. Of course I want the safest best option.”

Mr Spees understands that the funding to fix the VMR boat ramp has to come from the state government.

“Whoever gets in we are going to hound the hell out of them.

“They’ll have until the Monday and then we will be on to them,” he said, adding one sure fire way to get some funding together would be to change the upgrade plans for Abel Point Marina.

“There is one million being spent on Abel Point Marina and the people don’t want it spent there.

“The people at the rally want rocks the size of tennis balls put in the whole at the end of the boat ramp there, a floating platoon and then the money left over be transferred over to the VMR for our rock wall,” he said.