OZschwitz slave pen: Nude bathing is verboten

Subject: OZschwitz slave pen: Nude bathing is verboten Sat Dec 27, 2008 4:44 pm

NUDE bather Gerald Ganglbauer loves the freedom getting his clobber off brings.

"Naturists are a good, honest crowd," he said. "Nobody hides anything. I've never come across the bad behaviour or rudeness that you sometimes get on clothed beaches. We love nature and the freedom of just being yourself."

Mr Ganglbauer, 50, has enlisted the help of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore in his fight to make a secluded beach, Little Congwong, "clothing-optional".

Cr Moore is Mr Ganglbauer's state MP. She has written to Environment Minister and Deputy Premier Carmel Tebbutt asking her to consider amending the Local Government Act.

Under the change, the State Government would have the power to declare the beach, at La Perouse, an official "free" beach without the backing of the council.

"Randwick Council has refused to listen to our concerns, so we're now taking the matter to State Government level," said Mr Ganglbauer, who convenes the Free Beach Action Group.

The approach to Cr Moore is his latest move after a series of letters, emails and meetings with Randwick Council failed to have the beach's classification changed.

"We first made contact about this issue back in 2005. But council is very conservative. It's like talking to a brick wall," he said.

Little Congwong, which has been listed in NSW Government tourism brochures as an "unofficial" nudist area, has been attracting naturists for more than 40 years.

"It's a perfect spot - there's no neighbourhood and it's located behind bushland, so nobody can access it accidentally," said Mr Ganglbauer, who lists nude bathing's other attractions as "not having sand in your Speedos and no tan line".

During the European summer the resident of inner-city Ultimo often returns to his native Austria, where nude bathing is widely accepted.

In NSW fewer than a dozen beaches have been declared clothing-optional. Despite its long tradition as a popular nudist spot, being naked at Little Congwong is an offence. Signs at the beach state that nude bathing is prohibited.

"In the past few months, I'm aware that two or three fines of about $200 have been issued at the beach, which as far as I know has never happened before," Mr Ganglbauer said.

Randwick Mayor Bruce Notley-Smith was unimpressed.

"Gerald's conducted this big, orchestrated campaign to get his views across," Cr Notley-Smith said. "My constituents have spoken loud and clear: nude bathing at Little Congwong is not appropriate."

Inspector Brad Hodder, of Maroubra police, said: "We'll be actively patrolling the area this summer."

LNK

OZschwitz slave pen: Nude bathing is verboten

OZschwitz slave pen: Nude bathing is verboten

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