Belconnen Master Plan

Lake Ginninderra Sea Scout Submission

 

Background

Lake Ginninderra is a highly valued resource, regularly used not only by local residents but by several hundreds of youth and adult members of Scouting in the north ACT Region. In fact, it is the primary focus of all Scouting water activities north of Lake Burley Griffin. Its consistent use is made possible by the facilities constructed by the Lake Ginninderra Sea Scout Group (LGSS) at their Evelyn Parker Place address (off Beissel Street, Belconnen). Safe, unhindered access to these facilities is essential in order for the safe, continued use by our members and the local community.

 

The LGSS Group aims to achieve more than just casual use of the lake. As part of the world wide Scouting Organisation, it has a mission for the development of young people.

 

The Mission for Scouting, at the local, national and international level, is to contribute to the education of young people, through a value system based on the Scout Promise and Law, to help build a better world where people are self-fulfilled as individuals and play a constructive role in society.

 

This is achieved by:

·       Involving them throughout their formative years in a non-formal educational process;

·       Using a specific method that makes each individual the principle agent in his or her development as a self-reliant, supportive, responsible and committed person; and

·       Assisting them to establish a value system based upon spiritual, social and personal principles as expressed in the Promise and Law.

 

Built on guidance from the ACT Branch and with input from Scout Leaders, Support Committee Members, Parents and Carers, the Group is keen to provide input into any future plans and planning activities for Lake Ginninderra.

The current LGSS team is very fortunate that many past members have had foresight and energy to provide us with a sound base: we have outstanding facilities, including our new boat shed; good equipment; exceptional scout leaders and a great group of youth members including our seniors Venturers and associated Rovers. Collectively, we provide the best possible environment for our youth members. Furthermore, north of Lake Burley Griffin, we are the only ‘sea scouts’ and thus the only venue for providing extensive water-based scouting activities to over 1,200 scouts in the northern ACT.

 

Further explanation is probably not necessary, but it is worth reiterating that the scouting community, like most community groups, relies on volunteer support. The rewards are not financial; they are life experiences for us as individuals and the group members as a community. The fundraising levy is not a way for the group to raise money. It is an incentive for people to give their time and effort to avoid payment, so that the Group might gain their help to provide the necessary support structures for a worthwhile program for our children. Our program allows them to grow and develop as active members of society who understand and respect the needs of a supportive family, be that the family at home, at school, in the scout group, or in the town, country or world community.

 

LGSS recognises the value of such contributions by providing discounts of some fee elements to those offering their time and effort in a variety of roles. LGSS also offers discounts as financial assistance to ensure all members of the community share a similar opportunity to be involved in scouting.

LGSS is a voluntary, not-for-profit, community group running active programmes for young people in Canberra under the auspices of Scouts Australia. LGSS receives no government funding, instead relying entirely on funds provided by its members, fundraising and some donations and grants for its operations. All equipment, facilities and consumables are funded from the LGSS budget.

 

Submission comments

As described above, LGSS provides structured, development and leadership programmes for local youth. As a Sea Scout group, our activities centre on water-focussed events, although a full programme of outdoor adventures are incorporated throughout the year. As such, our concerns for the Master Plan relate to potential impacts on the ability to provide these activities in the future.

 

The key interests for us in the development of the 2015 Belconnen Master Plan are:

• Continued direct access to the lake is critical for water-focussed activities of our Group. Youth members aged 7-18 years regularly access water-focussed activities via the ‘beach’ onsite beside the hall. If this access was to be lost or degraded, it would impact on the effectiveness of the water-focussed activities we provide to local youth, particularly during the sailing season between spring and autumn.

• This is also relevant to broader Sea Scout operations across the ACT. ‘Tri-Lakes’ is a regular, thrice-yearly competition between the Sea Scout groups at Lake Burley Griffin, Lake Tuggeranong and Lake Ginninderra. Retaining access to the ‘beach’ onsite beside the hall is essential to enable safe and easy access for these activities, and the associated community involvement in them.

• Clean and safe foreshore environments are an ongoing issue, given our frequent activities on or near the water’s edge. We conduct annual Clean-up Australia events to improve the condition of the western foreshore by reducing the rubbish build up. Needles and syringes, shopping trolleys, glass bottles and aluminium cans are the most common rubbish collected. Any new developments need to target the cleanliness and safety of the foreshore, and the ability to effectively maintain that level of cleanliness. The stormwater system is the principle avenue for much of this refuse entering the lake. We see management of the stormwater system and a clean and safe foreshore environment as critical to providing a safe and clean location for all lake users.

• Car parking will be a particular issue. During peak times immediately before and after scouting section meetings, as parents arrive to drop off or pick up their children, there is an intense period of car parking pressure and an increased associated risk of injury to youth members and adults. Developments adjoining Beissel St will add to this pressure and risk. To minimise this, parking areas will need to be well designed to enable clean and smooth traffic flow, and dedicated drop off zones.

• Our Group is constrained by the current size of the leased property and, noting the strong pressure for growth and interest from youth members in the community, we would want to have the ability to extend our operations (boat/canoe storage, meeting venue, etc.) over the next several years.

• LGSS conducts weekly activities for around 100 youth members and is a base for the Lake Ginninderra Rover Scouts (14 older youth members). Sixteen scout leaders, 33 adult helpers and a support committee conduct over 400 hours of sessions at the scout hall every year. The hall provides the base for sailing and canoeing activities conducted on Lake Ginninderra over the Spring, Summer and Autumn months, including evenings and weekends. Additionally, over 30 camping activities and ACT competitive sea-scout sailing events (on Lake Burley Griffin, Lake Tuggeranong and on Sydney Harbour) utilise the hall and its storage facilities as a base of operations.

• LGSS is the home of active youth programmes run by the local community. The programmes are local, regional, national and international, with local youth members participating in Cuborees, inter-state activities, Jamborees in Australia and New Zealand, community service programmes in Indonesia and competitive water activities in the ACT and NSW.

• LGSS is funded entirely through member fees and fundraising activities. These funds provide for the hall maintenance, the cost of utilities, the cost of equipment (including boats and camp equipment, and associated trailers), insurance, association costs and the costs associated with scouting activities.

• The scout hall is also extensively used by community groups and social organisations throughout the week. Typically, such groups utilise the scout hall for some 20 hours per week when not needed for scouting, providing a base for social and cultural activities.

• Participation in scouting in the Belconnen area is growing with most scout groups regularly reporting full capacity, particularly in the cub and scout sections (7 ½ - 15 years of age). There are three Sea Scout groups in the ACT. LGSS offers a challenging mix of land-based and water-based activities centred on Lake Ginninderra, the only such group in North Canberra and surrounding NSW districts.

• It is expected that there will be continuing pressure for growth. Accordingly, LGSS recently constructed a new boat shed to better support water activities on Lake Ginninderra in response to the growing popularity of scouting.

 

Thank you for providing us the opportunity to be part of the discussion about the future of the Belconnen Master Plan and we hope a strong community focus drives its implementation.

 

Regards

Klaus Felsche and Justin Billing

President/Vice President

Lake Ginninderra Sea Scout Group

Wednesday, 21 January 2015