community services · Ballina Shire Council
Ballina council backs no action on croquet club access dispute after tied vote
A proposal for Ballina Shire Council to intervene over Ballina Croquet Club’s access to the Cherry Street lawns was defeated, leaving the matter unresolved at council level.
Ballina Shire Council did not endorse any action on Ballina Croquet Club’s loss of access to the Cherry Street croquet lawns after councillors split evenly at an extraordinary meeting on 13 April.
The meeting considered a notice of motion asking council to write to Cherry Street Sports Club expressing disappointment at the reported decision to terminate the croquet club’s access and urging the club to reconsider and ensure long-term access for both clubs. Public minutes show the motion was tied 4-4 and was lost on the Mayor’s casting vote.
Before that, councillors also voted down an amendment that would have asked council to urgently identify an appropriate parcel of land to maintain community-based croquet on Ballina Island. That amendment was defeated 5-3.
For residents and club members, the practical outcome is that council did not adopt a formal position, will not send the proposed letter to Cherry Street Sports Club, and did not start a council-backed search for an alternative croquet site on Ballina Island at this meeting.
The minutes also record several declared non-significant, non-pecuniary interests on the item. Crs Michelle Bailey, Simon Kinny, Damian Loone, Therese Crollick, Eva Ramsey, Erin Karsten and Kiri Dicker, along with General Manager Paul Hickey and director Caroline Klose, declared they were members of Cherry Street Sports Club and remained in the meeting. Cr Bailey also declared an interest as president of Business Lennox Head, which receives sponsorship from Cherry Street Sports Club, and remained in the meeting and voted.
Voting on the main motion was split between Crs Therese Crollick, Eva Ramsey, Erin Karsten and Kiri Dicker in favour, and Mayor Sharon Cadwallader, Cr Michelle Bailey, Cr Simon Kinny and Cr Damian Loone against. With the vote tied, the Mayor used the casting vote against the motion.
No further council follow-up was adopted in the minutes. Any future council response would need to come back through a new motion or report, or be addressed separately outside council by the organisations involved.
Reference minutes
Source: Ballina Shire Council Extraordinary Council meeting minutes, 13 April 2026.
Key facts from the minutes
- Ballina Shire Council considered the croquet access issue at an extraordinary meeting on 13 April 2026.
- A notice of motion to write to Cherry Street Sports Club about Ballina Croquet Club’s access to the Cherry Street lawns was lost.
- The main motion was tied 4-4 and lost on the Mayor’s casting vote.
- An amendment to urgently identify land on Ballina Island for community-based croquet was also lost.
- Several councillors and senior staff declared non-significant, non-pecuniary interests because they were members of Cherry Street Sports Club and remained in the meeting.
Why it matters
- The vote leaves Ballina Shire Council without a formal position on the croquet access dispute and without an approved process to seek an alternative site, which matters to residents following local sport and community facility access in Ballina.