Cultural Plan 2013-2016 final.pdf - Coffs Harbour City Council ...

As adopted by Council on 28 February 2013
The absence of welcoming signage on the Pacific Highway entrances to Coffs Harbour was
seen as a lack of community self-respect e.g. “we don’t even have a welcome sign!”
Signage in general in Coffs Harbour attracted a lot of negative comments in consultations.
Tourists’ satisfaction with signage in Coffs Harbour is also very poor: 24% versus 36% for
the comparable municipalities. Dissatisfaction with both directional and site signage was
raised by a number of those consulted, refecting on both their own experience and that of
visiting family and friends:
“When you get to the Plaza, you wouldn’t know that you could turn off and be less than one
km to the beach.”
Community suggestions of particular merit include:
Establishment of a process of selecting high design utilitarian objects into council
developments and refurbishments in highly visible locations with locally distinctive
designs;
The erection and well-considered placement of flag poles with attractive banners can
add to a festive sense and would be a useful adjunct to the community celebration
program run by Council;
Sculpture should be placed where it can be seen clearly– there is difficulty placing
sculpture in an already visually cluttered environment; and
Integration of cultural material such as Aboriginal design or environmental poetry into
interpretative signage.
11. Community celebrations and cultural diversity
Council supports a suite of well-attended community celebrations (see Attachment C) often
at the Botanical Gardens, such as Harmony Day and the Japanese Festival of Children’s
Day (Japanese Children’s Day) or the Jetty Memorial Theatre, such as the Refugee Film
Festival.
A number of these celebrations have a particular focus on the cultural diversity of the Coffs
region. They provide opportunities for members of diverse cultures to show living aspects of
their heritage – from dancing, music, visual arts and crafts – and to share their foods with
other residents and visitors.
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