Foreshore bosses quit

Alex de Vos
The bosses of the Surf Coast’s foreshore management body have quit less than three months before the appointment of a new board.
Great Ocean Road Coast Committee revealed the departure of chief executive office David Clarke and board chairman Peter Anderson in a media statement this week.
The statement, which was attributed to Mr Clarke, said he was moving on to “new opportunities”.
But Mr Clarke later told the Independent he had “nothing lined up”.
“After five years I thought it was time to leave. I’m going to start looking around and see what’s out there,” Mr Clarke said.
He revealed a second attempt to secure an affordable tender for a new boat ramp at Torquay had failed. The committee had $936,500 for the ramp.
Mr Clarke said the committee had now dumped the project.
The committee’s statement said Mr Anderson would take up “new work commitments” after three years leading the board in his voluntary role.
Their resignations followed several years of controversy over the committee’s management of the coastline between Point Impossible and Lorne.
The committee has been criticised over its $5 million plan to redevelop Torquay’s public caravan park, which involved kicking 28 families off their long-held sites.
Surf Coast Shire residents also clashed with the foreshore manager over works at The Gap at Whites Beach.
In 2007 residents slammed committee’s ultimately failed plan to install meters in surf beach car parks.
Last year the Independent revealed the committee, a State Government body, had begun drawing annual funding from ratepayers.
The committee said it had appointed former LUCRF Superannuation Fund boss John Carlile as acting chair until the state Environment and Climate Change Minister appointed the new board in June.
Mr Carlile praised Mr Anderson’s “wonderful job leading the committee over the last three years”.
“We acknowledge and thank him for his significant contribution to the coast – on a voluntary basis – and we wish him well for the future,” Mr Carlile said.
Mr Anderson labelled Mr Clarke a “strong” leader who had “strengthened” the committee’s finances.
Mr Anderson praised Mr Clarke’s management of projects and initiatives including “securing grants with Surf Coast Shire and state and federal governments”.