Airstrip Or No Tourism?

Lord Howe’s tiny population has good reason to be worried about the advent of an airstrip into the clear waters of its lagoon. The tiny island, 300 miles off the coast of New South Wales, is only seven miles long and less than a mile wide. The airstrip, due to take over from the Airlines of NSW flying-boat service, will, whatever its size, cut a scar across the middle of the island and project some way into the lagoon.

But the islanders are accepting the change; tourism has given the island a fine boost and virtually the entire population now depends on it for survival. The flying-boat service, romantic as it is, must close down soon. Ansett (which owns Airlines of NSW) claims it is losing money all the time on it, and there is pressure in Sydney’s harbour to close the Rose Bay launching area.

The islanders want the airstrip as the best of a bad choice, but the Australian Government has done nothing to start the airstrip, to take Fokker Fellowships. Discussions have been going on between the Federal and State Governments and Ansett over cost and suitability, while the islanders themselves have had to sit and wait while threats have been made that the flying-boat service will stop, with or without an alternative service, by June this year.

It seems certain now that the

flying-boat service will stay at least for a short time longer, but, in the words of Airlines of NSW general manager, Captain Stewart Middle miss, “we want the flying-boat service stopped as soon as we can; we can’t guarantee when, and we can’t guarantee it will be after work starts on a new airstrip”.

Dark words have been said on Lord Howe that the delay over the airstrip is pure politics. Their votes hardly count at election time in NSW.

Ansett, last year subsidised some $150,000 by a Federal grant to keep the flying-boat service going, has no plans to place any money in the airstrip. If it was offered an incentive in the form of some kind of tourism project in the island, it might be more interested. Cost of the airstrip is likely to be $3 million.

Time, usually a commodity easy to find on Lord Howe, is running out.

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