He meets with the group once a month and brings it up to date with what is occurring.

Minister Toole and our State member, Stephen Bromhead, announced State funding for dredging.

This funding will undertake a few dredging locations in the MidCoast Council area. The commencement dates for these works are expected to be within 2019.

Navigation dredging will occur within Scotts Creek and South Creek in the Manning River.

Dredged sand spoil has been identified to be placed on the northern side of Farquhar. This was done for two reasons, firstly the cost to pump further than this location makes the navigation dredging cost prohibitive; secondly, with the northerly movement it is proposed this placement will be beneficial for Manning Point.

The navigational dredging referred to above relates to clearing navigational channels in Farquhar, which is badly needed and will assist the tourist industry as well as oyster farmers.

However from the perspective of the OBBSRG, the major need is for the dredging of sand from Farquhar, as identified in the Worley Parsons Farquhar Inlet Opening Management Plan 2010 (eight years ago).

To restore sand to our beach, the preferred option is to adapt the Worley Parsons “inland lake with notch” plan and utilise the sand, 30,000 cubic metres to replenish 2km of Old Bar Beach to a depth of 1.5m and 10m wide.

The licence to undertake the works has been received from Department of Crown Lands and Water.

Council will now work to formally secure the assistance from James Carley, senior project engineer with the Water Research Laboratory. James and his team will advise the best time to undertake the works, plus they will undertake monitoring of the scrapped material.

We know that the scraped sand will be removed by the ocean, but at what rate? The study that James' team will undertake will give council information to guide future sand scraping or sand nourishment campaigns.

It is envisaged that this monitoring will advise the optimum amount of sand to be placed on the beach to provide the best result for the longest possible time.

Council meets with staff representatives from the Office of Environment and Heritage, Department of Industry Crown Lands and Water plus independent coastal scientists about the CMP and progress to date.

At the next meeting, discussion will be based around the cost benefit analysis in addition to other outstanding matters.

Council initially applied for this grant to the flood management grant process last year, but were unsuccessful. Council has resubmitted this application to the Coast and Estuary Grant funding round that closed on January 30. 

If successful, the grant will focus on how Racecourse Creek moves across Old Bar Beach and the potential wave run up and flooding issues for the rest of the creek and Pacific Parade during these events.

As part of the work to support the CMP, MidCoast Council will contract a coastal engineering specialist to undertake ground penetrating radar (GPR) in Old Bar and Manning Point.

GPR is (quiet literally) an ultrasound for the earth. The radar will detect durable material (rock) and determine if it will be strong enough to withstand wave pressures.

From this information, the contractor will generate maps to show how any durable material may assist with the management of coastal hazards. This information will prove extremely useful in the development of the CMP.

Council received advice from the Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) on January 2, that the Manning Valley Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) required minor amendments to permit certification.

Following alterations to the document, council resubmitted the CZMP for certification on January 18. The alterations undertaken for certification have not altered the actions or the overall intent of the document.

OEH will review the document and certify the document. The Manning Valley CZMP is the plan that covers from Crowdy Head south to Black Head (excluding Old Bar and Manning Point).

Despite heavy seas over the past few weeks, the gabion wall, which was built in 1992, is still holding firm, protecting the beach south of it, whilst the beach north, especially in front of the surf club, has been badly eroded.

A couple of times over these weeks, parts of the wall were exposed, but for the whole it was mostly covered, doing the work for which it was installed, protecting the 11 houses south from being undermined by the creek and being swallowed up by the sea.

More sand traps are proposed south of Racecourse Creek. This will be done by hard working volunteers.

A grant for this work has been obtained and we have the material which was recovered from the failed dune fencing will help.

It has been found that the sand traps worked, being placed at an angle to the fore dune, as against the dune fencing running parallel to the dune.

The dune fencing just got washed away with the strength of the strong ocean and we can only assume that is because there is too little beach.

The group now intend propagating cuttings of pigface and sand spinifex to plant behind the traps, so needs polystyrene boxes and volunteers to take them home and water them until it’s time to transplant. If you are able to help please phone president, Elaine Pearce on 0407 229 145.

The OBBSRG conducted a Bunnings barbecue on January 27. Although it was, as usual, very successful, not a lot of funds are raised and after at least eight years, a stop has been called and the group will not be conducting any more.

Old Bar's white poppy project is off to a good start, with some poppies being collected already.

If you would like to be part of this project, or know someone who would, the patterns can be collected from the CTC (opposite Vinnies) and the completed poppies can be left there. They are needed to be collected by Anzac Day.