This is a brief history of the Cumbalum area as it has been developed over the past two decades. Much of this information was contributed by local residents, some of whom were the first to build on The Ridgeway.
The History of Ballina Heights and Cumbalum:
It has been nearly 20 years since the release of the first ‘land-and-house’ packages on the Ballina Heights Estate, also known as the ‘newer’ Cumbalum (adjacent to Summerhill Crescent, accessed via Deadman’s Creek Road), as distinct from the ‘older’ Cumbalum on the other side of the Highway. Most of the land in Cumbalum was bequeathed to the Catholic Church, sold on to developers such as Vixen Pty Ltd, who did the sub-dividing and development, and then sold to individual home-buyers through real estate agents such as LJ Hooker.
As with many such developments, areas for sale around Cumbalum were released in sections. One of the first roads to see houses was ‘The Ridgeway’, the main road running through Ballina Heights. Continuing development gradually spread out in branches off The Ridgeway to Unara Parkway and, more recently, further up the hill into what is now known as the Banyan Hill developments.
The estate has continued to expand at a significant rate, however, it still lacks a commercial precinct with shops and amenities, despite the fact that one was promised from the start of the development 20 years ago. A community building/club house was built, and sports grounds laid out, on Power Drive, close to the entrance of the estate. However, soon after its completion, the Ballina Shire Council leased the community building to various sports clubs, most of whose members live outside the Cumbalum area, thereby denying use of the building to local residents in Ballina Heights, Summerhill Crescent, Banyan Hill and Cumbalum. This is one example of delayed provision of infrastructure needed for a fast-growing community.
History of the Ballina Heights Residents Action Group and the Cumbalum Residents Association:
Soon after moving here, some residents of Ballina Heights met to discuss pertinent community issues including the lack of a commercial precinct. Begun in 2012 by Dr Gregory Unwin, the members called their unregistered group the Ballina Heights Residents Action Group (BHRAG). Over the next several years, they met regularly to discuss action plans on supporting the development and infrastructure of the area. Key members of the group played significant roles and laid many great foundations; however, there was a lack of wider community response and support. When Greg was looking to discontinue BHRAG, due to lack of community engagement, a few residents decided that a community voice and engagement in Council meetings was far too important to be allowed to discontinue; they therefore undertook to continue the work he and other members of BHRAG had begun.
Many in a community are quick to request change and improvements, but when there is work to be done to achieve this, few make it a priority to help, and the power of community work falls short of its potential. This highlights the importance of the contribution of each and every person, no matter how big or small their input might appear to be.
As the Cumbalum area continued to grow and develop, BHRAG underwent some changes as the community group continued to expand. First: a name change to allow further reach and inclusion of people in the growing community: BHRAG was renamed Cumbalum Residents Association (CRA) to represent the people and wider community of Cumbalum, Ballina Heights Estate, Summerhill Crescent and Banyan Hill. Second: the CRA was registered as an incorporated association in December 2018 to allow a more secure establishment as an association in order to support the local residents and further growth in and of the area.
The philosophy and purpose of the CRA are to offer a safe and respectful space for members of the community to express themselves and to work together in the best interest of all, in a harmonious way.
How the CRA works:
The CRA is a community group run on a voluntary basis by the residents of Cumbalum. At the AGM, held a few months after the end of each fiscal year, all office-bearer positions are declared vacant and then filled through election. Office bearers are: President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer (the role of Secretary and Treasurer may be combined). Once all positions are declared vacant, CRA members nominate a member for each role; if the nominees accept, a vote of all financial members is taken to select the office bearer. In case of there being only one nominee, they are declared elected unopposed.
Anyone from the local area is welcome to attend the meetings; they do not have to be a member. However, Department of Fair Trading regulations stipulate that only financial members of the CRA are eligible to vote and submit motions or questions on notice on behalf of the association to present to Ballina Shire Council.
All current CRA members are residents in the community who come from varied occupational backgrounds — accountants, carpenters, cleaners, doctors, engineers, gardeners, lawyers, nurses, physiotherapists, teachers etc.). They meet 5-6 times per year (in person in the past but since COVID restrictions, most meetings have been via Zoom) to discuss and implement needed changes in the area — all done on a voluntary basis.
How to join the CRA:
To join the CRA, you fill in an application form and pay an application fee and an annual membership fee for the fiscal year (1st July to 30th June). New members are welcome to vote on matters raised, and put forward motions for discussion.
Some topics discussed at our recent meetings:
development of new areas in Cumbalum, and infrastructure issues such as the development of the promised commercial precinct and shopping centre
lighting the intersection of Deadman’s Creek Road and Tamarind Drive
highway interchange issues (such as the needed but currently non-existent on/off ramps, emergency access routes during flooding over roads)
flooding of access roads into and out of the estate (for example, Tamarind Drive, the roundabout off the highway and Deadman's Creek Road have been flooded and become impassable.)
West Ballina Connect — establishment of a road connecting North Ballina to West Ballina through Flathead Lane
installing shade sails over the children’s playground adjacent to the sporting fields.
The CRA generally runs community meetings every two months , following the Ballina Shire Council B Ward meetings. A CRA delegate attends the BSC B Ward meetings to liaise with councillors, to put forward questions on notice, and to submit motions raised in CRA meetings. This gives the community a much-needed voice in Council.
If you are interested in joining the CRA, please get in touch via the contact page on this website! We look forward to hearing from you!
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