NYE not such a Shore Thing

While New Year’s Eve for most Australians is a time for celebration and reflection, residents near Bondi beach are beginning to dread December 31 as they are driven to decibel distraction by Christmas and New Year’s Eve parties.

New Year’s Eve party Shore Thing has been a popular fixture at Bondi beach for the past few years, attracting house acts which this year included David Guetta, Armand Van Helden and the Ashton Shuffle.

Waverley councillor John Wakefield said that Waverley Council had received a lot of complaints about this year’s celebrations. Noise, drunkenness and littering are chief among concerns expressed by residents.

Cr Wakefield said that a majority of older residents he had spoken to were either disgusted by the impact of the event on the area or simply left the area completely over the Christmas/New Year period to avoid the commotion.

“I have not been in Bondi for the past three years because of the impact of the event,” Cr Wakefield said. “It has been growing in size and impact year on year.”

He said he was distressed by the ballooning proportions of the event, once housed inside Bondi Pavilion but now attracting tens of thousands of revellers to the open air venue of Bondi Beach.

Cr Wakefield relayed a complaint where a pregnant woman was so disturbed by the noise levels that she left her home and slept in her car away from the noise of Shore Thing. He said he had been pushing for and was successful in implementing a review of the Christmas/New Year model.

“Do we want a massive event on Bondi Beach or do we want something else? Council will be reviewing the program because the contract is over,” Cr Wakefield said.

Promoter Brandon Saul said that the events, which he has managed for some 10 years, were actually about preventing unwanted social behaviour.

“Many people don’t understand that we run these to prevent worse things happening,” he said. “They may not please everyone but people are always going to come to Bondi on New Year. What we do has evolved over the years – it’s successful, but maybe it needs to evolve more.”

Waverley Mayor Sally Betts said she was waiting for a full report from the organisers about issues arising from the festivities.

“There have been fewer and fewer complaints every year,” Cr Betts said. She also explained that as issues arose, the council did its best to address any complaints.

Paul Paech of the Bondi Beach Precinct said that the council’s big events were turning Bondi into “party central” throughout summer.

“If Bondi’s parties are such a success, maybe Council can bundle up the whole idea and export it to Manly or Cronulla or somewhere where people might want their streets enlivened,” he said.

“Frankly, Bondi is happy just to be Bondi. This is part of a crucial debate about the future of Bondi Beach. Council is stealthily turning Bondi into Kings-Cross-By-The-Sea, and residents need to fight now to make their voices heard.”

The issue will be raised at the Community Safety Advisory Committee on February 15.