Unhappy Originals won't give up
"IT AIN'T over until the fat lady sings" - they are the fighting words of Peregian Originals organiser Anita Sweeney as her group explores all options to keep the free fortnightly concerts at their present foreshore park.
On Friday the East Coast Originals president said she hoped to eventually find a way around Sunshine Coast Council's decision last Thursday to keep 24 concerts but force every second concert to be held in a new - as yet unknown - venue.
"We feel like we have been given an extension to our house, but at the same time they've removed the foundations from beneath us," Ms Sweeney said.
"What was passed in there gives us two events (a month) until December, then we kick in to the one-a-month in Peregian and wherever else on the third Sunday in January."
"The bottom line is that we will still be left with only 12 concerts in Peregian, and because they are sticking with the unworkable rescheduling of rained-out concerts, that will probably mean only seven to eight a year in Peregian," Ms Sweeney said.
She said based on past experience four or five of the 12 concerts could be expected to be rained out, and the nature of acts meant that they could not be rescheduled to a fall-back date as council wanted.
Peregian Beach Surf Life Saving Club president Brett Leckie, whose club depends on food sales at the concerts for a major part of its revenue, said the decision was disappointing.
"But we will be forming a working group to look at ways to replace this revenue and move forward," Mr Leckie said.
At last week's meeting Division 12 councillor Tony Wellington raised the question of crowd behaviour, saying police reported having to deal with the groups of people who stayed drinking after the last 5pm concerts finished.
Cr Greg Rogerson told councillors: "I'd like you to take on board that we should be governing for the majority of the people. No matter what decisions you make here, there will always be people hurt along the way.
"The businesses, I believe it's really going to hurt them.
"What a statement to make, because something is so good that we want it to move on.
"If you move them to another park elsewhere - are they still going to drink there? You are going to have exactly the same problems - they're just going to be somewhere else," Cr Rogerson said.
