Jan Juc is a small family suburb located on the Victorian surf coast. Jan Juc is winding streets, speed bumps, lots of cul de sacs, playgrounds, small to medium homes and almost a total lack of commercial development. Not even a concrete footpath. No fast food franchises with look-at-me signs. No mini malls. Not even an IGA or a 7-11 let alone a Coles or Woolworths. No resorts and no motels. All that glitz is left to nearby Torquay.
As a consequence of what must have been a total brain freeze, Rohan Pertzel thought that these factors make Jan Juc an ideal place for a pokie pub. The Jan Juc community has begun to voice its opposition.The families who live in Jan Juc are fortunate enough to live on the coast near one of the great surf beaches of the world, Bells Beach. Despite it's international fame, Bells Beach, has no commercial development. No motels, no hotels... nothing other than a car park.
It's the way the locals like it. It's why they chose to live there. Great surf. A quiet beautiful community with a few local shops. Rohan Pertzel wants to change that.
His apparent strategy was to first develop the only local hotel, The Beach, as a family friendly haven to take Mum, Dad and the kids for a veal parmigana. But even then, there was a something seriously wrong in his promotion of a child play area where it was reported "parents can also see thier children enjoying themselves through the glass walls to the children's area". It is far better if he had promoted parents and children sitting at the table together and enjoying a conversation; a shared experience.
If the gambling losses from Mr Pertzel's proposed 30 Jan Juc pokies achieve even 15% less than the level of gambling losses in the existing pokie pub in Torquay, Jan Juc will become the pokie gambling centre for the Surf Coast. The Beach Hotel will become its largest gambling venue.
Here's a video I produced. Double click on it to watch it on YouTube:
Look at the graffiti. Listen to the machine noise neighbours have to endure. Mr Pertzel needs to clean up The Beach. No industry award changes the reality of how The Beach presents itself in Jan Juc. Mr Pertzel's proposed motel units are not a fit for Jan Juc. His proposed 30 pokies are not a fit for Jan Juc.
Mr Pertzel needs to man up, admit that his proposal was wrong, publicly abandon these plans and work towards restoring real goodwill with the Jan Juc community.
