Calls for council to increase numbers at annual event
COUNCILLORS and MPs have given up their tickets for the annual Bayside Seniors Garden Party over fears residents will miss out.
Southern Courier
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COUNCILLORS and MPs have given up their tickets for the annual Bayside Seniors Garden Party over fears residents will miss out.
Bayside Council has allocated 800 tickets for the event — the same amount as the former Botany council, despite the new local authority having more than double the population.
This led to tickets for Sunday’s event selling out in 48 hours and a waiting list being set up. Residents and MPs are now calling for the council to increase the capacity of the event.
Maroubra state Labor MP Michael Daley, who has given up his ticket, said: “Every senior from Botany to Bexley gets invited. It is becoming a theme that our residents are missing out because of this unwieldy amalgamation.
“This Botany event was supposed to celebrate the contribution of our local seniors to the community. This was their day and now Botany locals are missing out. Not good enough.”
Bayside Council took over the running of the event last year after the amalgamation of the former Botany and Rockdale councils.
It has traditionally been a Botany event but has now been opened up to all Bayside residents.
Beatriz Scattini, 66, has lived in Botany for 30 years and has attended for the past five years, but missed out.
“It’s really sad,” she said. “I look forward to this every year. They have to increase the numbers if more people are invited.
“It is an important event for older people. They get to go and speak to other people and meet up with friends.”
Bayside Council said that within 48 hours of the tickets being announced all 800 had gone.
Around 550 went to those in the former Botany council area and 250 to those from Rockdale.
A Bayside spokesman said organisers had managed to accommodate everyone on the waiting list by increasing the capacity.
At the time of going to press the council was ready to cater for 841 at the event at Sir Joseph Banks Park.
“In previous years hundreds haven’t turned up,” a spokesman said, defending the 800 allocation. “There have been empty seats.”
He also said Bayside had managed to save ratepayers tens of thousands of dollars since taking over from Botany council.
“Bayside Council has reduced this cost from a staggering $380,000 to approximately $160,000 saving the ratepayer a massive $220,000,” he said.
“Since amalgamation this is our second seniors party, and we have been informed that in previous years when it was organised by the former Botany council, many chairs, in fact tables, were not filled. In the short time that we have been running this operation, no one has missed out on a seat.”
Heffron state Labor MP Ron Hoenig raised the issue of residents possibly missing out on tickets with Bayside Mayor Bill Saravinovski.
“I’m very grateful to Mayor Saravinovski for ensuring that my senior residents will be looked after on the day,” he said. “His assistance is very welcome.
“You wouldn’t have thought required the intervention of state MPs, the mayor and councillors to get this outcome.
“I’ve got four councils and only Bayside has this problem, so something has got to give.”
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