Community campaign to keep ‘iconic’ tinnies in Labrador doesn’t have backing of Gold Coast councillor

A community-backed campaign to fight the eviction of “iconic” tinnies on a strip of Gold Coast foreshore doesn’t have the backing of a city councillor.

A BOATIE at the helm of a community-backed campaign fighting the eviction of “iconic” tinnies on Labrador’s foreshore says he is “disappointed” in local councillor Ryan Bayldon-Lumsden.

Wayne Hayes, with the support of the State Member for Bonney, Sam O’Connor, has collected nearly 1000 signatures on a petition urging the Gold Coast City Council to let the boats remain until a better solution is found.

Tinnie owners were given removal notices because the council said it received complaints that vessels were “being left unlawfully” on the Broadwater foreshore.

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Local Labrador resident Wayne. Picture: Tertius Pickard

“I suppose I feel disappointed that we have so much local support and only a few people against it and yet the interests of the community are being ignored,” Mr Hayes said.

“The day after we got the eviction stickers (May 13) I contacted Cr Bayldon-Lumsden and it took him eight days to get back to me.

“We thought that he was on our side and while he’s told us he’s working on something, apparently he’s said the boats still have to go in the meantime. Our petition was asking council to allow the boats to remain until a better alternative was found, such as a boat mooring of recycled plastic bollards. It’s a bit deflating. I really thought we had him on our side.”

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Mr Hayes said boaties from as far away as Brisbane had removed their tinnies but “quite a few’’ remained after the May 27 eviction deadline.

Cr Bayldon-Lumsden said as of Thursday only 26 of the 50 or so boats between Quota Park at Biggera Waters and Len Fox Park at Labrador remained on the foreshore.

He said the council was contacting boat owners and officers were “looking at a viable solution”.

Division 7 councillor Ryan Bayldon-Lumsden. Pic Mike Batterham

Previously Cr Bayldon-Lumsden told the Bulletin his “personal” view was he hoped a solution could be found so the “little boats” could stay in a compliant manner.

Mr Hayes said he still had some serious concerns about whether the council had authority over the Gold Coast waterways and foreshore and that the stickers called the boats “abandoned vehicles”.

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“Firstly, they are most definitely not abandoned, with most owned locally, and from what legislation says, a vehicle is a wheeled device. These tinnies are most definitely not vehicles” he said.

A city spokesperson said leaving boats on public foreshores in such a manner was an offence under Local Law No. 9 (Parks and Reserves) 2008.

The council confirmed it was the legal entity responsible for the foreshore and there was currently no permit available to deposit or store any goods in a park under local law.