Latest news with #Balcombe
Time of India
20-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Retreat not an option: Entire town may collapse as erosion devours Western Australia coast
The coastal community of Lancelin, which was once a thriving fishing village and tourism hotspot 125 kilometers north of Perth but is now staring down a catastrophic environmental collapse. Aggressive coastal erosion has stripped more than 25 metres of land in just 12 months, leaving homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure hanging by a thread. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Select a Course Category Locals say over 10 metres of shoreline has disappeared since May alone, and a popular beachfront lookout is now set to be demolished within days due to imminent safety risks. The crisis has left residents reeling and demanding immediate intervention from the Western Australian Government , as the erosion threatens to wipe the town off the map. 'Without immediate intervention, the safety of the foreshore and the integrity of essential coastal infrastructure remain at serious risk,' said Glen Trebilcock, owner of the Lancelin Sands Hotel and the face of a growing grassroots campaign to save the town. Trevilcock has launched a petition now signed by over 900 residents, urging the state to deliver emergency funding and deploy technical experts to help shore up what's left of the crumbling coastline. Live Events 'Retreat is not an option' Residents have made one thing clear that relocation is off the table. 'We strongly believe that a retreat is not a viable solution,' Trebilcock told CNN. 'We've lost our beach. We're losing our economy. Now we're losing our town.' The petition has been submitted to the WA Legislative Council, citing the limited capacity of the Shire of Gingin , which governs Lancelin. With just 6,000 ratepayers and a vast stretch of coastline to protect, the small regional government says it is powerless without state support. 'We're not asking for millions of dollars,' said Shire President Linda Balcombe. 'We're just asking for a little bit of financial assistance to address this emergency before it's too late.' Balcombe says she's personally reached out to Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti, but weeks later, the shire has yet to receive a formal response. The erosion has had a crippling economic ripple effect. Tourism, a lifeline for many small businesses, is drying up. According to Trebilcock, six daily tour groups have ceased visiting, and several visitors have canceled bookings citing safety concerns. 'The lookout is about to collapse. That was one of our main attractions,' Trebilcock said. 'Now it's being demolished. The message that send? Stay away.' Government response In a statement to 7News, the WA Government said it is 'aware of the issues and is actively looking at options to assist.' However, locals say words are not enough. They want action, funding, and an immediate deployment of engineers to evaluate and secure the coastline before the damage becomes irreversible. 'This is not a slow-moving issue,' Balcombe warned. 'It's happening now, every week, every storm, we lose more land.' FAQs Where is Lancelin? Lancelin is a coastal town located 125km north of Perth, Western Australia. What's happening? The town is experiencing unprecedented coastal erosion, and over 25 metres of shoreline have been lost in one year. What are the risks? Homes, roads, and key infrastructure are now dangerously close to collapse. A seaside lookout is scheduled for demolition. Is the government responding? The WA Government says it's exploring options, but residents and local officials are demanding urgent action.
7NEWS
19-07-2025
- 7NEWS
Lancelin locals trigger alarm on coastal erosion as coastline washes away and wild weather predicted
A popular Aussie fishing and tourist town has pleaded for help as an aggressive ocean washes away their tiny coastal home before their eyes. The erosion crisis in Lancelin, 125km north of Perth, has worsened since 7NEWS visited just over two months ago and cast a major cloud over the future of the getaway known for its white sand and relaxed seaside lifestyle. Locals say more than 10m of land has vanished since May and they seriously fear for their homes and businesses. Anxiously watching the shoreline inch towards his pub, Lancelin Sands Hotel owner of three years Glen Trebilcock has pleaded for emergency funding and specialist technical assistance from the state government in a petition supported by 800 signatures. 'Without immediate intervention, the safety of the foreshore and the integrity of essential coastal infrastructure remain at serious risk,' he said. 'We strongly believe that a retreat is not a viable solution.' The local shire has also written to WA Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti for help but says they are yet to hear back. 'We're not asking for millions of dollars at the moment, we're just asking for a little bit of financial assistance,' Gingin Shire President Linda Balcombe told 7NEWS. 'We're a very small shire with only about 6000 ratepayers and we've got a big coastline that we have to protect. 'If we're protecting private businesses and private houses we also need to come up with a model that everybody's putting something into this — shire, landowners and the state, and even federal government. It's an Australia-wide problem.' Balcombe said more than 25 metres of coastline had been eaten up in some of the worst-hit places in the last year. 'Of course (the locals) are nervous. They live here, there's a lot of value in their properties (and) angst if they're going to get inundated,' Balcombe told 7NEWS. 'I don't blame them.' Thousands of tourists are drawn to Lancelin's white sand and picturesque water every year, but Trebilcock said the erosion issue that threatens to swallow up their slice of paradise is having an impact on visitor numbers. 'Six tour companies that used to come through every day, they've all disappeared. They bypass and they just go directly up to Jurien (Bay),' he told 7NEWS. A lookout that has sat by his hotel for decades and is a sought-after stop with international selfie-hunters will be torn down next week due to safety concerns. Former WA opposition leader Shane Love said he had raised a grievance in parliament and followed up again in budget estimates. 'I've said this a number of times in parliament already, the state government need emergency funds and the ability to respond urgently,' he said. The WA Government told 7NEWS it is 'aware of the issues and is actively looking at options to assist'. A weekend cold front set to smash the coast and threatens to eat further into the remaining waterfront. 'The seas will really pick up. We're expecting quite high swells ... well up over five metres behind the system as well,' Bureau of Meteorology WA manager James Ashley said. Some experts fear there is little that can be done at this point. 'In the case of Lancelin, it's built in the wrong place. It's built in an eroding coastline,' UWA coastal oceanography professor Charitha Pattiaratchi told 7NEWS in May. 'It's probably controversial — [but the best thing to do would be] retreat, do nothing.'
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Yahoo
Man sentenced to 10 years for child sex abuse material in Laurens Co.
LAURENS COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – A man was sentenced to up to 10 years in prisoner for possessing child sexual abuse material, according to SC Attorney General Alan Wilson. 48-year-old Bunky Wayne Balcombe plead guilty to four counts of third degree sexual exploitation of a minor. On August 18, 2023, the Laurens County Sheriff's Office was called out to a home regarding a sex-related crime. Upon arrival, law enforcement met with two men who had been talking with Balcombe. According to the men, Balcombe admitted that he had been talking to several underage girls on multiple platforms. Balcombe then confessed to the officers that he had child sexual abuse material on his phone, and showed it to the officers. Balcombe was then arrested. Balcombe is a registered sex offender due to a previous conviction from the Attorney General's Office. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
BBC News
28-02-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Balcombe targets top-six push under 'positive' Wimmer
Motherwell goalkeeper Ellery Balcombe says new manager Michael Wimmer has brought a "much more positive outlook" to the Steelmen arrested a run of seven games without a win by beating Dundee in midweek on Wimmer's home debut and second game in charge after replacing Stuart Kettlewell."Obviously it's been a tough time. I think the manager coming in and giving that real positive impact has just settled us down a bit," Balcombe said."Wednesday was massive for us. It's good to get that first three points after what we've been through, but hopefully it's just a start."Wimmer is now the second-newest manager in the top flight, with Barry Ferguson, who is now in the Ibrox dugout, next up for the German and his side in Govan on Saturday."The manager has been really positive and is just trying to keep all the boys in that same sort of mindset. So definitely upwards and onwards," added Balcombe."It's a much more positive outlook. He wants us to play football and not go long all the time, which is what I suit anyway, so I prefer to do that."Balcombe, 25, had an unsettled start to the year but is hopeful he can now kick on at Fir had started 2025 on loan at St Mirren and briefly returned to Brentford before moving on loan to Motherwell, where he played under three managers in his first four games, including caretaker Stephen Frail."It's been a bit of a whirlwind, but it's football and I'm just looking to play games and help out the team," he added. "It's football and these sort of things happen."I've played under four or five gaffers in a span of six months, so this is nothing to me. It's just how football works and hopefully now the boys can really get around the gaffer and going forward we can get that top six like we want."
