THE TWEED SHIRE Volume 2 #13 Thursday, November 26, 2009 Advertising and news enquiries: Phone: (02) 6672 2280 A special magazine Fax: (02) 6672 4933
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[email protected] this week’s Echo www.tweedecho.com.au LOCAL & INDEPENDENT Rally future Big sports complex under cloud gets the tick Luis Feliu The future of the controversial world rally in Tweed and Kyogle shires is in doubt following the shock axing of Rally Australia’s general manager and his Murwillum- bah-based team. The rally’s governing body CAMS (Confederation of Australian Motorsport) has decided not to renew the con- tracts of key players in the running of the event – general manager Gary Upson, operations manager Bob Newman and event support co-ordinator, Sam Pearce – who were all based in Murwillumbah in a Tweed Shire Council of- fice before and during the event in September. This follows the resignation days earlier of Rally Aus- tralia organising committee chairman Garry Connelly, who had overall responsibility for the event. The report by rally journalists forced CAMS last week to deny the trio were sacked, claiming instead that their contracts, which were originally only for a year, would not be renewed under a structural reorganisation. CAMS also indicated there would be a shakeup of the rally board, which includes council’s general manager Mike Rayner. Mr Rayner’s position as a director on the board came under fire from councillors and rally protest- ers as a conflict of interest. CAMS also appeared to recognise there had been a lack of community consultation for the event, after suffering a huge backlash from sections of the community which resulted in the cancellation of a stage at Byrrill Creek and Mayor Warren Polglase tries to block a shot from Jessica Dooley as Arkinstall Park, Tweed Heads South, in the coming months.