Residents of the Surfrider Caravan park at Barrack Point must wonder what they have done to offend the Gods of finance and bring down the wrath of nature's fury !
In March this area of Wollongong suffered exceptional rain and 173 of the park's 180 home sites were inundated. Most lost all of their possessions and the insurance industry ducked and weaved to avoid paying out by invoking the " act of God " clause. Then they found that access to public distress funds was denied - because those who had elected to insure were automatically excluded from such payments.
Finally - after weeks of sleeping in wet vans and cooking on open fires a degree of normalcy was achieved - until Shellharbour council decided to change the rules !
Surfrider Caravan park was home to permanent residents. They paid rent for their site and this was an asset that could be sold or passed on as inheritance when they died - and as such it was a most valued asset for those of modest means.
Council now wants to change the park from permanent residency to a holiday park restricted to short stay or weekend only hire. If this proceeds, the values will drop sharply and it will become almost impossible to recover the money already invested in on-site homes.
The park management also sees problems. Holiday hire is seasonal and subject to weather and economic conditions. Permanent residency results in a predictable income budget - and therefore a well defined works programme to keep the park a pleasant place for residents.
After months of uncertainty and extreme hardship, what was a settled living regimen for those of limited means looks like being turned upside down. Tenure will be retained for those already in residence, but selling out will result in a loss and what was a family asset will no longer have value.
Just one more instance of the instability faced by those who rent - as opposed to those who have a piece of paper called " a deed " to protect the property on which their home rests.
And the hard part is that the fortunes of nearly two hundred people can be changed overnight - by the mere stroke of a pen on paper !
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