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Topic Date User

VCC and ACAV, together on the sand??? 21-Sep-2019 At 1:08:47 PM One Day Hero

Message

On 21-Sep-2019 dave_s wrote:
>Yes, and that's an entirely appropriate response. Refusing to accept responsibility,
>and instead pushing the blame onto Parks is NOT what traditional owners
>want to hear. Native Title is coming, and climbers need to admit to TOs
>that we have be climbing and have been bolting the rock without consent.

Dave, if you've ever waded into Chockstone over the years you'll probably know that I've been a vocal critic of shitty development in Victoria for a decade. However, given the general ignorance of outsiders about; how climbing works, how broad the divide is between the various factions, and most crucially what percentage of exposed rock we have (or should have) any interest in climbing on, I really think that admitting to any wrongdoing on behalf of the whole community was a bad idea.

In no way do I think that the acaq has a better negotiation strategy (or is more likely to succeed) than the vcc, but from the outside you look very much like a parochial club representing only the interests of your members. That is what has gotten peoples backs up. You've been dropped into an access dispute over a climbing area of global significance, and you must be seen to be representing the broader community. There needs to be an "access only membership" so that interstaters like myself can join and support access negotiations without having to subsidize pig roasts for Melbourne bumblies.

Getting branch stacked and ousted from your own organization was something you should have seen coming. If you survive, I hope that some of these suggestions are taken on board.