The closure of Myuna Bay Sport and Recreation Centre on a Friday in 2019 was as dramatic as it was sudden. More than 100 waterskiiers halfway through an international competition were told to leave within hours as the centre was locked down.
It was a curious and abrupt end for a facility that had hosted schoolchildren and sports groups - at its peak more than 20,000 a year - for the previous 70 years. The reason for the sudden closure, the community was told, was a fear that the nearby Eraring power station coal ash dam posed a safety risk.
