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• Timeline

• Scanned pages from the Club's dive log. If you follow this link, and think it useful, please let John Rowe know on treasurer@gordonsbayscubadivingclub.com, and it might prompt him to finish scanning these.

• Front page article in Wentworth Courier, 29th November, 2017

• Front page article in Wentworth Courier, 5th December, 2017

• Blue Groper Catalyst story

• 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.

• 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

  The uneven terrain made it next to impossible to manually move the drums into Gordons Bay.

• 20th February 1990 Fortunately, the Department of Sport & Recreation through Maria Long Regional Director and Randwick City Council started construction on a sea ramp into Gordons Bay for able & disabled divers.

  Drums were then manually rolled into the sea. Marist Brothers Pagewood, students with teacher Peter Clarke is seen on the job.

  Club Secretary, John Rowe is seen rolling up from the rear.

• 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 1990 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 Marine Protected Area

• 227th 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.

• 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;
  1. never mix with Mrs Murphy.
  2. Today's dive starts the night before.
  3. Measure twice cut it once.
  4. Success has 1000 fathers. Failure is an orphan.
  5. A short-term gain is a long-term loss.
  6. If it starts badly it can only get worse.
  7. The penalty for bigamy is two mothers in law.
  8. A short cut is the longest distance between two points.
  9. Slowly, Slowly catches the monkey
  10. 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.

• 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

• htmladdnormallink25th February 1991archive/scans1-6.pdf 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

• htmladdnormallink28th February 1991archive/scans1-7.pdf 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.
• htmladdnormallink8th March 1991archive/scans1-8.pdf John Rowe requests Minister Ian Armstrong provide more enforcement signs for Gordons Bay

• htmladdnormallinkMarch/April 1991archive/scans1-9.pdf Stuart Robb reports in PADI Newsline Australia on Pro Dive’s Nature Trail being completed.

• htmladdnormallink25th April 1991archive/scans1-11.pdf Eastern Herald reports on John Rowe & Angus Sullivan’s campaign to have Gordons Bay declared a Marine Protected Area.

• htmladdnormallink3rd May 1991archive/scans1-12.pdf 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

• htmladdnormallink6th May 1991archive/scans1-13.pdf Local state member of parliament and future Club member Ernie Page assistance sort in having Gordons Bay declared a protected area

• htmladdnormallink6th May 1991archive/scans1-14.pdf Joelle Devis trail map designer and assistant construction trail boss departs for New Caledonia

• htmladdnormallink13th May 1991archive/scans1-15.pdf Minister Armstrong provides signage to assist enforcement and protection in Gordons Bay

• htmladdnormallink16th May 1991archive/scans1-16.pdf Marine ban proposed for Randwick announced in the Eastern Herald (Daniel Horrigan Journalist) that Alderman Chris Bastic would propose protection zones

• htmladdnormallink22nd May 1991archive/scans1-17.pdf Signs provided by Minister Armstrong for protection of Gordons Bay.

• htmladdnormallink23rd May 1991archive/scans1-18.pdf 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.

• htmladdnormallink28th May 1991archive/scans1-19.pdf 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.

• htmladdnormallink4th June 1991archive/scans1-20.pdf 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 Council's 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 Gordons 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.

• 9th December 2012 Elliot Price's report of the annual sausage sizzle.