"Knickers in twist over nudies"-Woollahra, New S. Wales, Australia

[Danee]

From: http://wentworth-courier.whereilive.com.au/news/story/knickers-in-twist-over-nudies/

Note:  At the bottom of this report, one can post comments.  Do so!

IT is one the few beaches in the Eastern Suburbs where you can safely get your kit off and enjoy the sun, but one Woollahra councillor would like to see Lady Bay beach stripped of its designation as an official nudist beach.

Cr Anthony Boskovitz said he believed the council should ask the National Parks and Wildlife Service, which is responsible for Lady Bay, to remove it from its register of nude beaches and “re-brand it as a family-friendly beach”.

“The beach is very much underutilised with its present usage and should be open for all people including families,” he said. “Unfortunately people feel uncomfortable going down to that beach because of its current listing as a nude beach.”

He said the area’s non-nude beaches were frequently packed during summer.

“Woollahra is a very densely populated area and it needs more recreational areas for families and this beach is one such place, but until nude bathing is banned down there, people are unlikely to go there,” Cr Boskovitz said.

“I have had some families who regularly walk up to Hornby lighthouse comment that it would be such a nice beach to use but they would never feel comfortable taking their kids there.”

Lady Bay officially became a nude beach in 1976, but was a popular place for naturists well before that.

It regularly features in travel guide books and has long been a favourite with naturists and the gay community.

A Rose Bay police spokesman said he was unaware of any recent complaints about users of the beach.

On Monday afternoon, when the Courier visited, there were a dozen people on the beach, but John Bruce, a local and long-time visitor to Lady Bay, said that on the weekend, when the temperature hovered around 30 degrees, the beach had been packed.

“There were around 400 people,” he said. “You couldn’t park your towel.”

Mr Bruce said he had been visiting Lady Bay for about 30 years and seemed unconvinced that the beach would be closed to nudists.

“It will never happen. The gays have too much power,” he said. “Close down the beach and you’ll have a war on your hands.”

Cr Boskovitz said he planned to put his motion up at the first council meeting of the year in early February.

A National Parks and Wildlife spokeswoman said that while it was responsible for the conservation of the beach, Woollahra Council held the authority to designate beaches as nude, although a council spokeswoman had earlier said National Parks was responsible for the matter.

Should Lady Bay beach be stripped of its designation as an official nudist beach? Tell us what you think in the box below.

[Nude_not_rude]

I really disagree with John Bruce using the argument that

“It will never happen. The gays have too much power,” he said. “Close down the beach and you’ll have a war on your hands.”

but it's probably true. Would be good to see the gay community do something positive for the beaches they have access to via the naturist movement.

I'm looking forward to our Free Beaches Association getting active over this one. At least 95% of the comments so far are positive.