'We need something now': Moruya group continues fight for community facility in Mogo

The club received $115,000 worth of grants to rebuild the shed and museum that were lost in the fires, however are struggling to secure a site for their new home.

Club President Steve Shields says the group, which consists of 70 members, was left disheartened when their shed - including many engines, tractors and restored machinery, some of which were heritage listed - was destroyed by fire.

Now he says what is more frustrating is the constant disappointment of not being able to make any headway as the group tries to build a new shed.

Until 2019, MATAMA operated a museum and work shed on the grounds of the Original Gold Rush Colony Tourist Park at Mogo.

A peppercorn rent - a legal agreement securing the lease of the land for minimal payment - was paid to the park allowing the group to lease the land.

After the shed was destroyed by bushfires, the organisation has been renting a storage shed in North Moruya for meetings and to store their equipment and engines.

Constantly paying rent is spending grant funds awarded to the organisation to rebuild their shed. They have the funds to construct a new shed, they just need a location to begin.

In October 2020, in an attempt to rebuild, MATAMA submitted a proposal to Council requesting a lease on a parcel of Crown Land at 1 Tomakin Road in Mogo to construct a new Mogo Community Centre from their own funds.

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The proposition, a joint-project by MATAMA, Eurobodalla Community Pantry and Batemans Bay Rotary, includes plans to construct a community hall celebrating the unique history of the Eurobodalla and providing a local place for Mogo residents and community groups to meet.

Since the Local Aboriginal Land Council building was lost in the bushfires, there is currently no community gathering place near the centre of Mogo - the closest alternatives are the Mogo Rural Fire Service Shed four kilometres from Mogo, or the Tomakin Community Hall, almost seven kilometres from Mogo.

The hall would provide a permanent home for both MATAMA and Eurobodalla Community Pantry as well as a space for other community groups to meet.

Eurobodalla Community Pantry provide free, low cost or subsidised food to residents across the Eurobodalla suffering food insecurity.

In 2020, the Council, through funding received as part of NSW Government's Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Package, hired Sydney-based urban designing company Ethos Urban to develop an activation plan for Mogo.

One of the goals for the plan is to strengthen the heritage and natural and cultural experiences of Mogo.

The plan lists 'historic character' as an opportunity for development in Mogo, while labelling the lack of community meeting spaces a 'constraint' to the area.

From April to September of 2021, Urban Ethos constructed a draft plan for the rebuilding of Mogo, with community consultation sessions to understand the key considerations and desires of local residents.

A draft activation plan was presented to the community in October 2021, with members of the community invited to give feedback on the plan until January 28, 2022.

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Listed under 'long term actions', the draft includes point 3.2: 'Investigate a multi-function cultural/community space on the corner of Tomakin Road and Princes Highway' - the site proposed by MATAMA for the community shed. The draft plan suggests five to ten years for the project.

The spokesperson said "hearing about the difficulties experienced by community groups in Mogo, and throughout Eurobodalla" was a key reason why point 3.2 was included in the activation plan.

Point 3.2 demonstrates MATAMA haven't been overlooked in the plan, however Mr Shields is frustrated constructing a new community gathering spot has been given such low priority within the plan.

The Council spokesperson said this is in accordance with community feedback.

"Centrally-located toilets, improved parking, shade, and rehabilitation of Cabbage Tree Creek were highlighted by the community as short-term priorities (to be completed) within one to two years," the spokesperson said.

The Cabbage Tree Creek weed control and restoration project has already received grant funding, according to the council spokesperson.

Mr Shields says the community needs a central meeting location, and MATAMA needs a permanent home. Continuing to rent a shed for five to ten years would significantly inhibit MATAMA's ability and funds to build a shed in the future.

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"Point 3.2 is somewhere down the track in the future, but we need something now," Mr Shields said.

In response, the council spokesperson said Boomerang Meeting Place, Mogo Oval and local businesses could all provide short term meeting places for the Mogo community.

When asked if council could provide any short term support to MATAMA, the council spokesperson responded: "Council recognises MATAMA as a valuable asset to the Eurobodalla community for its tireless work in preserving our shire's heritage and promoting it to a wider audience. Council must also balance a broad range of community needs across the shire. Council will continue to investigate options to help MATAMA find a suitable and appropriately-located home".

MATAMA has won two awards from council for hosting the best events in the region, including the inaugural Fergus Thomson OAM Heritage Award for outstanding contribution to the community's appreciation and awareness of the rich heritage of the Eurobodalla Shire.

Their old museum was visited by tourists, school groups and seniors groups from all over the Eurobodalla and further afield.

Entry was free, and Mr Shields says the organisation relies upon donations as it's only source of income, while providing a helpful community service.

"Everything we do, we do for free," Mr Shields said. "MATAMA functions purely as a service to the community."

"We don't want them to give us a block of land. We were paying a peppercorn lease. All we want is permission for a lease on crown land at a peppercorn lease where we can rebuild. We have the funds to rebuild."

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Mr Shields says while the group plays an important role in preserving history and restoring engines for the future, the group is significant for the mate-ship and companionship it creates.

"We have members who come to the shed every week and just talk," Mr Shields said. "They don't pick up a screwdriver nor touch an engine nor sweep the floor. They come for the community. Mental health is the key aspect in all of this."

"The sense of comradeship and connection with others who have similar interests keeps us all going both mentally and physically," said Kim Taylor, MATAMA member for over ten years. "These social interactions provide a wonderful effect on our members' mental health. Without our machinery shed starting again, we have lost all that."

Mr Shields says an empty shed on a flat piece of ground would function as a short-term solution, however he wants MATAMA to have the space and resources a shed provides to engage with the community as they did before the fires.

Information on how residents can provide feedback on the activation plan is available here.