I blame it on the pigheaded, opinionated post nazi that for a long time held himself up to be the one and only spokesperson of mountain biking on the northern beaches. The one that does delete posts from other community members simply because he doesn't like them, the one that bans people from "his" community owned and authored site and then proceeds to lie about them and why they were banned on said forum knowing full well they have no way of voicing fact and illustrating his lies and deceit to the rest of the community. There is no doubt that the face behind RobNob is a very talented interwebby person but that clearly doesn't get trails and when that "face" isn't capable of sitting face to face with someone and having open discussion with them about relevant topics because they hold a different opinion to his own, then the uphill battle becomes even more difficult. Just as submitting posts on a public forum that you alone have editorial control over mocking, ridiculing and abusing the very people you are trying to negotiate with does nothing to help legitimise trail access.
Look at the bigger picture and the success of trail advocates in other areas of Aus. Yes it's been a slog for many but there are many success stories around. Look at the Northern Beaches. In the 5 or 6 years that RobNob have been actively campaigning for trail advocacy and access on the Northern Beaches, how many trails have been legitimised? None. How many have been lost, too many to count. Up until two or three months ago, the closest new "trail" to be legitimised was one that was built "illegally" and is realistically closer to Horsnby than any of the Northern Beaches
No doubt, he has the best of intentions and has put in many countless hours for what he believes is a worthy cause, but that does not excuse the behaviour the OP has quiet correctly criticised and questioned.
Last edited:
