Kingston and Arthur’s Vale Historic Area Advisory Committee December 2023 Meeting Communiqué

The Advisory Committee for the Kingston and Arthur’s Vale Historic Area (KAVHA) met on 11 and 12 December, in its final scheduled meeting for 2023, to discuss a range of issues relating to site engagement, planning strategies and proposals to expand provision of food and beverages in Kingston.

The Committee reviewed four proposals from the community, following the call for expressions of interest to expand provision of food and beverages on site, a priority area of the KAVHA Site Master Plan. The KAVHA Secretariat will contact all four respondees before Christmas to advise of the Committee’s deliberations and then provide a further update to the community in due course.

The Committee was provided with an overview of progress on a range of key Kingston projects including the progression to Stage 2 of the sewer project and the interesting finds from the excavations during the first stage of the project. This included a visit to the recently exposed well on the Golf Course.

Members of the Norfolk Island Governance Committee attended to hear about the KAVHA Advisory Committee’s role in the governance of Kingston and the challenges the site faces. It is expected this information will be used to inform their response to the JSCNET report recommendations.

David ‘Dids’ Evans presented an inspiring idea for the development of a maritime interpretation utilising the double boat shed, which was proposed to feature a complete sea faring history, lighterage and ‘where we kam fram’ (come from) Pitcairn stories.

The committee bid farewell to the two community members, Mr Duncan Evans and Mr David Evans, whose tenure is complete. Both have been valuable members of the committee for eight years, we thank them for their contribution and passion for KAVHA.

The Advisory Committee includes three community members (Susan Prior and replacements for Duncan Evans and David ‘Dids’ Evans, with further information on this shortly), three expert members (Duncan Edward, Janet Carding and Jane Harrington) and is chaired by the Administrator of Norfolk Island.

The next Committee meeting is scheduled for March 2023.

Mr Brendon Christian is the KAVHA Site Manager. He can be contacted through the KAVHA secretariat on KAVHA.secretariat@infrastructure.gov.au or on 23315.

For further information or discussion, please contact the Office of the Administrator (phone 22152 or email office.administrator@infrastructure.gov.au).

George Plant

Chair, Kingston and Arthur’s Vale Historic Area Advisory Committee