About Us

Sections on this page: The Cooperative | The Board | AGMs | History | Back to Top

The Cooperative

The Brooklyn Mooring Cooperative is constituted under the NSW Co-operatives (Adoption of National Law) Act 2012 as a ‘non-distributing cooperative with share capital’. The Coop operates in accordance with the Rules of Brooklyn Mooring Co-operative Ltd 2011, approved by NSW Fair Trading. Our rules are currently under review to make sure they align well with the provisions of new National Law.

The full text of the current (2011) Rules of the Coop can be downloaded and printed from the PDF file rulesadopted2011. Various of these are explained in the relevant section of this website.

Sections on this page: The Cooperative | The Board | AGMs | History | Back to Top


The Board

The BMC is managed by a board of 7 members who are elected at the AGM. The current board members are:

Vanessa O’Keefe
Steve Bruggeman
Marina Garvey
Martin Lloyd
Felicity Brownrigg
Jodi Thiessen
Sashe Fischer

 

Sections on this page: The Cooperative | The Board | AGMs | History | Back to Top


AGMs

Minutes of BMC Annual General Meetings:

 


Draft AGM 2022
AGM 2021
AGM 2020
AGM 2019
AGM 2018
AGM 2017
AGM 2016
AGM_2015
AGM 2014
AGM 2013

Sections on this page: The Cooperative | The Board | AGMs | History | Back to Top


History

For a number of years prior to the early 1980s, interest had been growing for the establishment of some form of community mooring for river residents to use when leaving their boats when travelling to Brooklyn for work, shopping or other short-term community purposes. Until then, Don’s Boats (on the current Hawkesbury River Marina site) provided some commercial day commuter accommodation and river residents constructed their own makeshift landing sites. But by the early eighties, demand had more than outstripped these arrangements.

As a result of discussions in the Dangar Island Improvement League and elsewhere, a committee to investigate, set-up and design a community facility at Brooklyn was formed. Its activities and negotiations lead to the formation of the Brooklyn Mooring Cooperative (the BMC) in 1982. Money was raised by the issue of shares. This allowed the construction of the two north-south pontoons. Shares were issued in shareholding units of 500, 600 and 700. A 500 unit shareholding entitled a member to a 5 foot wide mooring space, a 600 unit shareholding to 6 foot and a 700 unit shareholding to 7 foot of space. Individual members were allowed particular dedicated positions. The location of these was decided by a drawing of lots. The shares were paid up to $1.60, although they were subject to a further call of an additional 40 cents per share if the need arose.

From its start until today, the BMC has been a totally self-funded organisation, paying for all costs associated with construction, maintenance and running of our Brooklyn facility and the operation of the BMC itself. There have been no council or other contributions, except by way of non-monetary advice and assistance regarding siting issues, approvals, etc. The financial independence of the BMC is something in which members can take pride.

By the early nineties, the demand for mooring space had again well and truly outstripped the available sites. The dedicated berthing set up at the Brooklyn pontoons had also resulted in many spaces remaining unoccupied much of the time. Not surprisingly this created resentment among those who could not purchase or otherwise obtain a BMC membership. A black market in memberships was also rumoured, and asked-for prices were said to be very high.

In 1994 an unincorporated body calling itself the Brooklyn Mooring Association (BMA) was formed and proceeded to lobby the two government agencies who licensed the BMC facility.

As a result, Hornsby Council and the Department of Lands rejected the continuation of the BMC development Application (DA) in 1995 on the grounds that the BMC policy of dedicated berths and limitation of new members was contrary to legitimate open community use for Crown Land.

After legal opinions and discussions with authorities, the BMC board agreed to move to random berthing and expand its membership. Under the agreed arrangements, those who held original memberships maintained a right to transfer the shareholdings as part of their transfer of property ownership. The DA for an expanded facility, with the addition of an east/west pontoon, was approved in 1997, and the enlarged facility was completed in 1998. There are now 135 members ‘hot berthing’ in the 73 mooring spots. Individual members do not have dedicated berths at the BMC facility.

During 2011 the rules of the BMC were updated and formally accepted by Fair Trading.

In 2019 the east-west pontoon was replaced, with solar lighting and security cameras installed.

In late 2023, a replacement of the eastern pontoon is planned, and the rules will be updated again to reflect the new Cooperatives (National) Law.