- 30th May 1985: First letter that is on file on the Underwater Trail to Pro Diving Services from Sydney University Underwater Society offering to assist with the trail’s construction.
- 21st June 1985: Rick Poole & Dennis Hunt submit a proposal to the premier of NSW Hon N K Wran, to construct an Underwater Nature Trail in Thompson’s Bay (Gordon’s Bay) between Clovelly & Coogee.
- July 1985: Randwick Rag reports that the trail is to run from Thompsons Bay to Coogee Beach.
- 5th September 1985: Rick Poole, Pro Diving Services & Dennis Hunt Marist Brothers Pagewood announce in the Eastern Herald, (Journalist Michael Visontay) plans for the first Underwater Trail in Australia. “It could be done over four weekends with identification tags taking a further month.”
- 7th January 1986: Premier Neville Wran requests Underwater Trail application to go to the Department of Lands.
- 9th April 1986: Rick Poole & Dennis Hunt Marist Brothers Pagewood submit a proposal to the Department of Lands for an Underwater Trail.
- 18th April 1986: Henry Davis York, Solicitors, request clarification from the Department of Lands regarding indemnity and permissive occupancy of the Underwater Trail.
- 26th May 1986: Daily Telegraph (Journalist no by-line) announces that Rick Poole and Dennis Hunt are awaiting approval for the Underwater Trail.
- June 17th 1986: Henry Davis York advises nil response from the Department of Lands.
- 30th December 1986: Department of Lands asks Pro Diving Services if they will take up the permissive occupancy offer for the Underwater Trail at Thompsons Bay.
- January 16th 1987: Henry Davis York chase Pro Dive for an answer.
- 20th January 1987: Pro Diving Services say they are unable to allocate sufficient resources to devote to building the Underwater Trail.
- 30th April 1987: Underwater trail integrated into the Design and Management Guidelines Eastern Beaches
- 25th May 1987: Dennis Hunt informs Bob Carr, Minister for
Environment & Planning of a public meeting on the 12th June 1987 on
the proposal to build and Underwater Trail.
- 20th June 1987: nineteen divers, including future member Jan
Baker conduct trial dives on the Underwater Trail with an average time
of 45 minutes for scuba divers and 25 minutes for snorkelers.
- 18th September 1987: Underwater trail notified as public recreation reserve #R100115.
- 23rd September 1987: Sydney Morning Herald (Journalist Joseph
Glascott), announces that the State Government has given approval for
the Underwater Trail construction.
- October 1987: (PADI Newsline Australia Vol 2 No 2 features the Underwater Nature Trail stating, “it is hoped construction of the trail will begin in the near future.”
- 20th February 1990 Five years, later 25 Drums, filled with concrete & stainless steel bolts are laid at the entrance to Gordons Bay. Four drums mysteriously dumped by unknown persons in the Bay and subsequently recovered by Hayden Poole & John Rowe
- 7th April 1990: From the Club dive logbook first dive at Gordon’s Bay to build the Underwater Trail. This was a sea too rough to lay the drums. Future President Sam Baxter does not dive again on the trail until 18th November 2006.
- 1st May 1990: St George Mini Mix & Pioneer Concrete thanked for the supply of surplus concrete to make the drum anchors.
- 8th May 1990: Club member Angus Sullivan completes a 32-page report titled“Should Gordon’s Bay be declared an aquatic reserve?” for his Year 10 Geography assignment.
- 15th June Cranbrook School Year 11 & 12 Students, Angus Sullivan, Matthew Everitt, Olin Winton, Stewart Walker, and Monte Taylor thanked for their assistance in laying the drums into position
- 18th June 1990: Club requests that the NSW Minister for Agriculture & Fisheries, Ian Armstrong declare Gordons Bay a Marine Protected Area.(MPA).
- 27th July 1990: Minister declines the Club request to declare Gordons Bay a MPA
- 27th October 1990: From the Club dive logbook Club secretary John Rowe looses an underwater scooter. Rick Poole scooter owner and co founder of Pro Dive does not complain.
- 1st November 1990: 1st Commando Company cannot help with the laying of the Trail, as the job required to many OH&S requirements.
- 5th November 1990: John Rowe interviewed by Andrew Olle on ABC Radio 2BL regarding the Underwater Nature Trail.
- 9th November 1990: Club presents the trail concept to a Water
Safety Display & Seminar sponsored by the NSW Department of Sport &
Recreation. The dive trails Ten Commandments promulgated;
- never mix with Mrs Murphy.
- Today’s dive starts the night before.
- Measure twice cut it once.
- Success has 1000 fathers. Failure is an orphan.
- A short-term gain is a long-term loss.
- If it starts badly it can only get worse.
- The penalty for bigamy is two mothers in law.
- A short cut is the longest distance between two points.
- Slowly, Slowly catches the monkey
- your comments please?
- 12th November 1990: From the Club dive logbook 30 dives and 56.5
underwater hours later, the Pro Dive Underwater nature trail is
completed. Angus Sullivan and John Rowe connect the last drum and take
measurements.
- 5th December 1990 : Club member Angus Sullivan submits a 32-page
report titled “Should Gordon’s Bay be declared an aquatic reserve?”
to the NSW Minister for Agriculture & Rural Affairs Ian Armstrong &
Lara Crew at Greenpeace PO Box 51 Balmain NSW 2041.
- 13th December 1990: John Rowe asks Minister Armstrong for more
patrols by Fisheries Officers and to declare Gordons Bay a marine
reserve. Evidence of a speared blue groper photographed from Clovelly
Bay.
- 18th December 1990: Australian Geographic declines a request for
financial sponsorship for the Trail.
- 31st December 1990: Joelle Devis draws the map of the Underwater
Trail which has been the standard map ever since.
- 1990: 99 divers 118.8 hours underwater
- 9th January 1991: Australian Geographic asked to feature the
Trail in Microbits
- 8th February 1991: Minister Ian Armstrong requested to answer
concerns about the need for more Fisheries Officers to patrol Gordons
Bay.
- 12th February 1991: People will steal anything. The theft of
stainless steel shackles forces the uses of galvanised shackles which
are not as strong or resilient as stainless steel
- 20th February 1991: Famous underwater man Neville Coleman says
that he has never been able to induce a sting from a jelly fish
Catostylus sp. when Angus Sullivan and John Rowe were stung mightily
in Jervis Bay by a Catostylus.
- 22nd February 1991: No response from Australian Geographic about
Microbits and the Underwater Trail
- 25th February 1991: Angus Sullivan congratulated on his
professional report. The Minister, Ian Armstrong, stated that at this
stage he did not think that Gordons Bay should be declared an aquatic
reserve
- 28th February 1991: John Rowe told by the Minister that enforcement patrols would be increased to prevent breaches of the Fisheries and Oyster Farms Act 1935. He further states that Gordons Bay will be considered as an aquatic reserve.
- 8th March 1991: John Rowe requests Minister Ian Armstrong
provide more enforcement signs for Gordons Bay
- March/April 1991: Stuart Robb reports in PADI Newsline Australia
on Pro Dive’s Nature Trail being completed.
- 11th April 1991: John Rowe requests Minister Ian Armstrong
place a spear fishing closure on Gordons Bay , that increased
education be made available to the public regarding the Blue Gropher
and that the area be declared a marine protected area.
- 25th April 1991: Eastern Herald reports on John Rowe & Angus
Sullivan’s campaign to have Gordons Bay declared a Marine Protected
Area.
- 3rd May 1991: Minister Armstrong, advises that the department is
continuing to investigate a spear fishing closure and other options
under the Fisheries management bill to protect Gordons Bay
- 6th May 1991: Local state member of parliament and future Club
member Ernie Page assistance sort in having Gordons Bay declared a
protected area
- 6th May 1991: Joelle Devis trail map designer and assistant
construction trail boss departs for New Caledonia
- 13th May 1991: Minister Armstrong provides signage to assist
enforcement and protection in Gordons Bay
- 16th May 1991: Marine ban proposed for Randwick announced in the
Eastern Herald (Daniel Horrigan Journalist) that Alderman Chris
Bastic would propose protection zones
- 22nd May 1991: Signs provided by Minister Armstrong for protection of Gordons Bay.
- 23rd May 1991: Ann Arnold in the Eastern Herald announces that the Department of Agriculture & fisheries will invite the public to nominate foreshore areas hat need protection from harvesting.
- 28th May 1991: Alderman Chris Bastic Randwick Council proposes to Council that Gordon's Bay, Lurline Bay and Malabar Bay become foreshore protected areas under State conservation laws.
- 4th June 1991: Minister Ian Armstrong confirms discussions between John Rowe & the Department of Fisheries.
- June 1991 Letter to Alderman Chris Bastic requesting that Randwick City Council cease using granulated Sodium Hypochlorite (Chlorine) to clean the Clovelly Bay access steps and that Council consider using the natural predatory behaviour of Littorinids to control slippery algae
- 14th June 1991: Letter to the Director of Fisheries, nominating
Gordons Bay be nominated as a protected site, applauding the
Department for setting up policies to protect the intertidal zone
from over zealous harvesting, the problem of storm water run off
into Gordons Bay and Randwick Councils continued use of Chlorine to
control algae
- 15th June 1991: Management plan produced to address the problems of intertidal harvesting announced in the Manly Daily
- 9th July 1991: Ernie Page Member for Coogee requests the Minister, Ian Armstrong to declare Gordon's Bay an aquatic reserve including Angus Sullivan's 31 page report on “Should Gordons Bay Be Declared an Aquatic Reserve”
- 13th July 1991: Ernie Page's letter referred to the Minister
for Natural Resources, Ian Causley
- 6th August 1991: Neville Coleman brought up to date on the change of ministerial responsibility.
- 7th August 1991: Scuba Diver declines article on the Trail
- 20th August 1991: Correspondence with Scuba Diver
- Summer 1991: Underwater Geographic 1991 publishes a two-page article on the Pro Dive Nature Trail.
- 12th November 1991: Minister Ian Causley in a letter to Ernie Page declines to declare Gordon's Bay an aquatic reserve but stated that it was still under consideration.
- 1991 Nil divers and dive time recorded
- 29th January 1992: Waverley Municipal Council submits a proposal
to federal Minister Jeanette McHugh, for bag limits and the
protection of Bronte Reef & Mackenzie’s Bay. This followed a
discussion paper produced by NSW Agriculture & Fisheries on
Managing harvesting activities in intertidal habitats
- 4th February 1992: Minister Ian Causley approves spear fishing
closure for Gordons Bay gazetted 7th February 1992 from the 10th
January 1992 to 9th January 2012 F91/536.
- 11th March 1992: Ernie Page MP for Coogee requests the Mayor of
Randwick Dr John Buchanan that Randwick Council formulate a plan of
management for Gordon's Bay.
- 15th May 1992: Mayor of Randwick Dr John Buchanan acknowledges letter
of June 1991 to Alderman Chris Bastic of Randwick Council deploring
the use of chlorine at Clovelly
- 12th June 1992: Dr Amanda Vincent world seahorse expert & seahorse
research in Sydney Harbour contacted to assist with the cessation of
Chlorine treatment at Clovelly
- 25th June 1992: John Rowe invited to be on the Gordon's Bay Consultative Committee
- 20th July 1992: Follow up letter sent to Alderman Chris Bastic regarding the use of Chlorine as an algaecide at Clovelly
- 21st July 1992: first Gordons Bay Consultative Committee meeting
scheduled for the 17th August 1992
- 27th July 1992: Dr Amanda Vincent provides full bibliography of
her work published on sea horses
- 17th August 1992: 22 residents and council employees meet at the first Gordons Bay Consultative Committee. Alderman Tony Sherborn elected as Chairman
- August 1992: Chemistry in Australia reports on sewerage tracer
(coprostanol) concentrations with an overall percentage increase
at most coastal sites from 1989 to 1992 of from 10% to 900% only
one site adjacent to Malabar cliff outfall showed a significant
decrease. Concentrations of sewage at least have been shifted
further offshore to around the deep ocean outfalls and sites near
the coast have not improved significantly
- 29th October 1992: Consultative committee told that there is no scientific evidence to support the contention that dogs swimming in the ocean attract sharks, that seaweed on beaches is not polluting and that that there was a greater chance of being killed by lightning than being eaten by a shark.
- 1992 Nil divers and dive time recorded
- 16th January 1993: The Daily Telegraph reports on the tragic suicide of a diver who suicided by chaining himself to one of the underwater trail drums
- January 1993: the groper described in the press as a sensitive
new age groper
- 17th February 1993: Fourth meeting of the Gordons Bay
Consultative Committee
- 18th February 1993: clarification of the status of the
underwater trail sort from the Department of Conservation & Land
Management
- 1st March 1993: Department of Conservation & Land Management
advise that the construction and maintenance of the Trail was the
responsibility of Pro Diving services Coogee and Marist Brother’s
High School, Pagewood
- 25th March 1993: Enquiries made with Maria Long Department of
Sport & Recreation for assistance in the upgrade of the underwater
trail
- 4th May 1993: Randwick City Council support asked as a co
contributor with the Department of Sport & Recreation for chain
replacement to $2000.00. Most of the original chain has been lost
- 11th May 1993: Terry Cummins CEO of PADI Australia says no
funds available to support the upgrade of the Underwater Nature
Trail
- 30th June 1993: Application with Randwick City Council to the Department of Sport Recreation & Racing for a grant to upgrade the underwater trail.
- 9th July 1993: Spear fishing closures gazetted to 8th July 1998
for Bondi Bay to North Tamarama beach, from Southern Bronte Beach,
to the south boundary of Waverley Cemetery , from Shark Point
Clovelly to the Northern end of Coogee Beach
- July 1993: Gordons Bay Plan of Management Working Paper
published by Land Systems for Randwick City Council. It identifies
seven zones of management in Zone 1 the enclosed water area four
issues identified of (a) Water pollution (b) Protection of marine
life (c) Recreational activities (d) Motor craft
- 17th August 1993: Department of Sport Recreation & Racing
capital assistance program, development of the underwater nature
trail, $1800.00 grant. The Club listed as sixth on Councils
priority for a grant
- 20st September 1993: John West Curator of the Australian Shark
Attack file unable to address the Club’s first meeting but provides
interesting material. Now available at
https://www.taronga.org.au/.../australian-shark-attack-file/australian-shark-attack-file
- 20th September 1993: Club member, Mike Giuliani quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald blaming lack of enforcement of the spear fishing closures in Gordons Bay for the decline in fish stocks.
- 22nd September 1993: First meeting of the Gordons Bay Scuba Diving Club held at Clovelly Surf Club John Rowe President, Antony Saunders Secretary, Councillors Jon & Pat Donohoe, Lesley Rowe, Midori Adams, Linda Rath, Patricia Head,(now deceased) Thom Caddy OAM, (now deceased) Phillipa Coates.
- 26th September 1993: first official GBSDC dive & reconstruction of the trail: Olivia De Bergerac, Lance Olsen, Roy Bisson, Roger Barker, Pat Woolley, Jason Dover, Barry McCarthy, John Rowe, Rick Poole Observer. Drums no’s not found: 1,2,3,4,5,9,11,14,15,16,17,18,21,22,23, Chain missing.
- 20th October 1993: Roy Bisson designs Club's “trailblazers” logo
- 14th January 1994: Club awarded The Sydney Morning Herald Australia Day 1993 Community Service Award
- 19th June 1994 Underwater trail featured on Sydney weekender
- 14th July 1994: Gordon's Bay Plan of management on public display
- 24th January 1995: Gordon’s Bay Scuba Diving Club (GBSDC) incorporated under the Associations Incorporation Act 1984. # Y2110124
- 14th February 1995: Club calls for enforcement of Intertidal Protected Zones in Gordons Bay (Weekly Southern Courier Vol 77, No 7)
- 16th June 1995 Club interviewed on ABC Radio 2 for World Record Dive
- 25th June 1995: First Ever World Record Dive at Gordon's Bay 118 divers participate.
- Has anyone seen Bluey, the gropher Club becomes Bluey's media representative
- 6th November 1995 AGM elections John Rowe president, Tina Penney Secretary Angus Sullivan Treasurer
- 7th November 1995: Club calls for the cessation on the use of chlorine powder at Clovelly
- 13th February 1996: Delight restaurant closed. Club loses its favourite meeting spot.
- 1996: Second Ever World Record Dive at Gordon’s Bay
- 3rd September 1996: Club call for more enforcement of spear fishing bans especially in relation to “Bluey” the gropher at Clovelly.
- 30th December 1996:Club declares water has never been clearer in the Bay since Sydney’s sewer outfalls were installed. Sydney Morning Herald 30th December 1996
- June 12th 1996 Club awarded PADI “Services to the Diving Community Gordon's Bay Nature Trail.”
- 1996: The Club and the UNSW Centre for Marine Bifouling and Bio Innovation receive an Environmental Trust Grant of $5000.00 to research the biological control of algae
- 28th August 1996: Coastcare grant applied for a sign regarding the underwater trail at Gordons Bay
- 20th May 1997: Club receives $1200.00 grant from NSW Coastcare for signage at Gordon's Bay
- February 1998: Trail signs launched by Mayor of Randwick Mr Ken Finn at the entrance to the diver's access path Gordons Bay
- June 16th 1998: The Club publishes Ms Melanie Coughlin's BSc Hon thesis “A Biological Control System for Intertidal Coastal Bathing Platforms: Interactions between Littorinids and Algae.”
- 11th August 1998: $3000.000 grant received from Coastcare to
research alternate underwater trail signage.
- August, September, 1998 Club assists with Project Aware Survey at Gordons Bay.
- 19th November 1998: Randwick City Council receives a $200,000 grant to improve beach stormwater traps
- 19th November 1998: Bluey the gropher becomes the NSW state fish emblem.
- October 1999: Tom Bass eminent sculptor's “Gender Pieces” vandalised by yobbos during the annual Sculpture by the Sea Festival and thrown into the sea from McKenzie's Point.
- 2nd November 1999: Second, rebuild of underwater trail completed.
- 26th February 2000: President John Hawken, Secretary John Rowe and Sculpture by the Sea Festival Director David Handley recover from the sea at McKenzie's Point the Tom Bass sculpture remarkably intact.
- 10th July 2000: Club concludes alternate chain and signage proposal as unworkable.
- 10th December 2000: First “Watch Algae Grow Dive”
- 18th January 2001: Bluey the Gropher allegedly speared, but reports are incorrect. Club substantiates that Bluey is the “fish who cannot die”.
- 31st March 2002: Bronte to Coogee declared an Aquatic reserve; a total ban has also been imposed on taking blue gropers from Clovelly and Gordon's Bay.
- 24th May 2003: George Evatt designed sign “20 Common Fish of Clovelly Bay” erected at Clovelly Bay with Coastcare Grant.
- 29th May 2003: Premier Bob Carr launches the sign “This is a great initiative. The rest of us have to value our corner of the planet.”
- 19th June 2003: third rebuild of the trail
- 27th January 2004: Club calls for Nature to take its course regarding the cleaning of Mahon Pool.
- 3rd February 2004: Sydney Water upgrades Gordons Bay sewage pumping station.
- AGM 2005: Peter Howard President coins the expression “the Call of the Chain”
- 9th November 2005: Domain name gordonsbayscubadivingclub.com registered.
- 18th September 2006: Underwater Listening Station installed Gordon's Bay by NSW Department of Primary Industry Dr Megan Storie.
- 12th October 2006: Club Secretary celebrates his 60th birthday at Clovelly Bowling Club. Donations made to the club in lieu of gifts totalled $3300.00.
- 12th February 2007: AGM Peter Howard President John Rowe Secretary.
GBSDC Sun 04 Jun 2023 09:01:46 PM AEST