Suzanne Barbalet - 12 August 2025

Suzanne Barbalet presented to Council at the Public Access Session on 12 August 2025.

Thank you Mayor and Councillors for this opportunity to speak today. I am Suzanne Barbalet, a rate payer on my Congo property for over 30 years. While I have worked away of necessity, as many in our community have over the years, Congo has always been home.

I am an older Congo resident and, as such, would like to draw your attention to the acute social, emotional and economic distress drawing the boundary of our hamlet across Congo Road North when, in the memory of current older residents and their relatives and friends, it has always extended to South Head Road and beyond. Though this sudden break in social and medical support networks is not entirely my experience I am very aware that this is the crux of the issue for the majority of members of my Congo age cohort.

Health Emergency

As I confirmed my long-term Congo retirement plan, one crucial variable was the ambulance travel time from Moruya to Congo in the event of a stroke or heart attack.

Last week was National Stroke week. We have been made aware, through national advertising, of the mnemonic FAST, the “T” of which means “time”.

Twenty minutes is considered the maximum time to successfully reach and treat a stroke victim and my sat nav assured me that the timing for such an ambulance trip was just possible, travelling to my property via Congo Road North.

At the point of my retirement in 2021, when I had to make a final assessment that the services and current age-related social policies would continue to support my decision, this fact cemented my decision. I proceeded with my plans to build an aging appropriate house on my land in Congo. I was not aware of the impending decision to close Congo Road North and that this time of 20 minutes to reach a stroke or heart attack victim was no longer valid.

A fellow Congo resident just last week said:

“thank heavens I had my heart attack while Congo Road North was open. I was collected by ambulance and in a medivac helicopter in flight to Canberra before I knew it”

Service Costs

As I finalized my Congo building plans, neither my builder, it seems, (nor I) factored in just how much the closure of Congo Road North would add to my building costs. Many say “it’s only an extra 9 kilometres into town…  what’s the fuss!” but time is money to a building contractor and the regular trips into Mitre 10, Moruya when the supply of this or that item ran out were innumerable. Over nine months of building time this added significantly to the overall cost. I cannot begin to convey what hardship and anxiety those unexpected costs caused me.

Aged Care

Recently, my sister (who I am next of kin and EPoA for) needed urgent aged care. It has taken three years to make these services routine for her. I realise that I now need some early care measures in place for myself but have been told by one of the largest care providers on the coast, Goodwin Aged Care Services, that they can’t recruit for Congo as travel time is prohibitive within the constraints of care staff schedules.

One older Congo resident, with a MyAgedCare plan in place before the closure of Congo Road North, told me recently:

“Prior to the closure I had a regular medical appointment in Moruya Heads. After the closure I stopped that treatment. I cancelled, thinking the closure would be only for a short time. This is only one example of the impact the closure of Congo Road North has had on me.”

Emergency preparedness

When attending a bushfire preparedness workshop at Bingi RFS depot I recall that the convenor told us that since the closure of Congo Road North there would be an expected combined road traffic convoy of upward of 1500 vehicles on Bingi Rd in an evacuation emergency, all trying to enter the Princes Highway, a major arterial road, the junction of which has already seen a fatal accident since Congo Road North was closed.

In conclusion, I could not have asked for a stronger, braver, more cohesive and resilient community to live amongst than Congo. The tragic 2022 Boxing Day surf accident saw a large section of the community on their surf boards within minutes of the alarm being raised. However, the stresses of isolation from lifetime forged networks on the Moruya side of Congo Road North and along South Head Road are telling. People no longer drop-in on one another en-route to and from town when Congo used to be just a small detour for such trips. These networks are lifelines at any age, but particularly for residents of an older cohort.

My children grew up crossing Congo Creek bridge on Christmas and term holidays, looking in wonder at the majestic gums that line our beautiful Congo Road on the northern side. As the protest song lyrics outside these offices several years ago rendered...  “Congo Road… take me home”. My distress at not being able to use Congo Road at its northern end to take me home is hardly worth mentioning compared to the broken network bonds and the social isolation that has ensued overnight for many in my Congo community. The numbers of our cohort are rising and many of us are single and live alone.

The accounts of an older cohort are the least likely to find a voice. There must be room for all our voices to be heard. Please listen and act on our behalf!

Thank you.