The Shire of Shoalhaven was formed by the amalgamation of seven municipal and shire councils on July 1, 1948.

Both these events are historic milestones in the region. To mark the August 1, 1979 proclamation, an official celebration was held in November 1979.

It included the granting of Freedom of the City to the officers and sailors of HMAS Albatross and HMAS Creswell, a major street parade and a civic dinner.

At the city the city had a population of almost 15,000 people, with a compound growth rate of 5.6 per cent per annum.

What was happening at the time?

Building and construction

A major school building project was completed at Ulladulla High School. A new hockey field and football field were constructed as part of general site development works. The project included on-site irrigation and drainage works, the construction of a foot bridge to provide access from the school to the new playing fields, and general landscaping of the school site.

Work was underway on the construction of a new children's unit and casaulty unit at the Shoalhaven District Memorial Hospital.

The work was carried out in two stages by the Port Kembla form, Hughes Bros. Pty. Ltd. at an approximate cost of $650,000.

Stage one involved building a new ward block to accommodate 23 children, while stage two incorporated extensions and alterations to the hospital's existing casualty and x ray units.

Water supply projects

The Milton-Ulladulla water scheme, which served an area including Lake Conjola, Milton, Mollymook, Burrill Lake and Ulladulla was on the department's priority list of works awaiting government subsidy.

The existing schemes, with Porters Creek Dam as its source, was not predicted to meet water demands for the year 2006 and considerable upgrades were requires. However, it was predicted it would take years before government funds became available.

Work began on stage one of a scheme to augment the existing water supply serving Nowra, Boamderry, Cambewarra, Berry, Shoalhaven Heads, Greenwell Point, Orient Point, Culburra, Huskisson and Vincentia.

The estimated cost was $32 million of which the State Government would provide up to a 50 per cent subsidy. The work was expected to be finished in 1984.

Tourism

In the Ulladulla district, the Ulladulla Tourist Association was promoting the area and encouraging visitors to stay for a longer period.

From figures released by the ABS, turnover from visitors staying overnight within the Shoalhaven city at the many hotels, motels, guest houses and caravan and camping areas exceeded $1.25 million.

In the northern region, the staff of the council's Tourist Centre at Bomaderry played a major role in the Shoalhaven Tourist Centre winning the Business Courtesy Award competition.

Local organisations were asked to give as much information to the staff on various events happening.

Roads

The council adopted a program amounting to approximately $3.5 million to seal a large number of town and village streets over a two year period. The works were expected to be completed by late 1981.

It would provide a bitumen-sealed surface on the majority of well-used streets which was expected to reduce dust and improve the city.