A mass planting event along the pathway to the Chapel from Marine Parade was conducted in conjunction with the Shire and the Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation Group (MPKCG).  It is fantastic that these groups can collaborate for mutual benefit. 

The CYMCA would like to thank all the volunteers and Council contractors for their efforts making the day a success in spite of difficult conditions on the day.

We especially would like to thank Sue Boggan for her work in organising the event and her leadership on the day. Sue is a CYMCA committee member as well as a member of the MPKCG.

More work on shaping the path can be done at our next regular working bee (second Saturday mornings of the month). The MPKCG has offered more plants for the purpose.

Eventually, we plan that signage, rest stops, maps and guided visits will also be put in place. 

Planning Panels Victoria recommended the incorporation of all of the Chapel in the Heritage Overlay HO127. Also recommended was the inclusion of the former Camp Buxton’s firepit and surrounding area in the overlay.

For reasons that escape us, only the part of the Chapel in private land was originally included in the Heritage Overlay HO127. The overlay currently applies to only the private land which houses or housed Camp Buxton buildings. The northern end of those properties on Marine Parade is shown in pink in our diagram, The proposed extensions are shown in brown with the actual chapel shown in red.

Mornington Peninsula C239 was raised by the Shire to correct the anomaly that all of the Chapel was not protected and to also add the significant firepit nearby into the overlay. This helps ensure preservation of the heritage of Shoreham through the planning system.

This recommendation now goes to Council to finalise the changes to the overlay for eventual approval by the Minister of Planning. The CYMCA approves of the proposed changes and spoke in their favour at the PPV hearing.

Commencing in late May, our contractor Glen and his crew have made a lot of progress with the platform and lectern restorations:

Work has almost completed though the wet weather has slowed down progress:

Funding for this work has come from a Mornington Peninsula Shire budget allocation augmented by funds privately raised by our group from the community and from other private donors.

Stage 2 consists of getting the first couple of rows of seats restored. Part of this work will require production of replacement concrete seat bases. If you ever wondered what the seat supports look like underground – this is the answer:

Although no official announcement has yet been made, we understand that the Shire is negotiating the purchase of the southwest corner of the Chapel on private land from its owner based on the badly sited fence described here.  This is a major blow for our group – because our restoration plans (based on Council’s own Conservation and Management Plan!) would be severely curtailed by such a constraining boundary.

Dedicated members of the CYMCA, and other involved community groups, despair as the Shire Council endorses a boundary fence which effectively destroys an appropriate entry to the Chapel.

The siting of the boundary is not in accordance with the Council’s own Conservation Management Plan, completed at a cost of $30,000 at ratepayer’s expense.  Its proximity hinders restoration of the stonework of the chapel entry and reinstatement of the plaque dedicated to Cyril Young which was mysteriously “removed” from the entrance pillar some years ago. From our point of view, Council has significantly bungled the property acquisition.

Disappointingly, the CYMCA (as a major stakeholder) has not been included in any of the negotiations for purchase of the land.  Nor has Council communicated any decision regarding the outcome, despite its policies, strategic plans and sound bites about ‘community engagement’.

All those involved in the Chapel project , the CYMCA (with reps from the Shoreham Community Association, Flinders RSL Sub-Branch, Flinders & District Historical Society, the Shoreham Roads and Reserves Working Group, YMCA Vic, ex-campers at Camp Buxton and Shoreham residents) have consistently been ‘left in the dark’ through all the critical phases of land negotiations with the adjacent landholder.

It can only be hoped that the current boundary fence can be renegotiated in future to give the chapel the entry it deserves for such a culturally significant site.

A fence has sprung up unexpectedly between private property and the immediate Chapel area. We believe the fence is not located in a good position because it vastly diminishes the Chapel entrance and does not permit screening vegetation as planned. The fence was erected without notification to the CYMCA committee towards the end of February (2021).