Australia Day Ambassador
Brenda Edbrooke
Ambassador for Bega Valley Shire Council - Merimbula
After holidaying in the area my husband and I decided to relocate to Merimbula in April 1980. I had always wanted to live by the beach and Frankston just wasn’t doing it for us. We loved this area and thought it would be a great lifestyle, and have never regretted the move. In fact some of our family have moved here also. We bought the Kingfisher Motel, a small 14 room affair, sold the Motel in 1982 in the property boom, built apartments, sold the apartments in the property bust, bought Monty’s Restaurant, (at that time Roly’s) had that for 6years, in those years I became more and more involved in the community which we had grown to love, we sold the restaurant and built Top Fun Amusement Centre (ten pin bowling, mini golf etc) my husband and I along with partners Steve and Maree Rogers are still running it today, our 21st Birthday on the 20th December 2009. Next year will be our 30th year in the tourism industry.
My girlfriend, Ann Wright and myself started a small committee existing of Ann and myself, The Beautification Committee 1985, one of our main projects was Spencer Park, we raised money for automatic sprinklers and playground equipment, then raised more money to put lighting in the Norfolk Island Pine Trees for Christmas 1996, we planted trees along Berrimbool Drive, down to the sporting oval, from that we were invited to join The Merimbula Area Committee 1989-1997, before I finished in the Area Committee, I was asked to join in on the Main Street Committee in 1995, I’m now the only surviving member of a sub committee formed from that group, “The Special Events Committee”. Over the last 15years we have raised over $100,000 all going back into the community, the Pambula Surf Life Saving Club, The Pambula Hospital, Special Needs, Disabled Skiers, Merimbula Primary School and beautification of one of the busiest corners in the CBD, Hylands Corner. I was also asked to join the Merimbula Area and Community Association in 2008 and helped work towards upgrading paving the boardwalk along Market Street, down to and over the bridge with fencing along causeway, completion in 2010.
Over the years I have watched this area grow, from a small seaside village to one of the most popular holiday destinations in Australia, and I still say everyday “how lucky am I”. Everywhere my husband and I travel, we have never found a area that we love more than Merimbula and the Sapphire Coast, it’s not perfect but it’s close.
I’ve still got a few good years of community service ahead of me, at the moment we are raising money to beautify Hylands Corner with timber shade structures and upgrading of outdoor furniture, bringing it in line with the National Bank Corner, that we, The Special Event Committee, finished landscaping in 2007. Hylands Corner will cost between $40,000 - $50,000, as of now we have raised half of the costs, so with the aid of the BVSC staff we hope to start that next year.
