A DISAGREEMENT between Tamworth Regional Council staff and marsupial volunteers that saw them walk off the job has frustrated and upset councillors.
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On Tuesday, councillors voted "with regret" to formally disband the Friends of Tamworth Marsupial Park at the group's request.
The work the volunteers had done on the park in the last 11 years had been outstanding, Cr Russell Webb said, as he asked council leadership what had caused the fall out.
"They have worked hard ... it's a great loss to two groups of people, the wider community and the group of volunteers," he said.
"I'd like to know what caused all this? This shouldn't be happening in the world we live in, these guys have been here for 11 years.
"All of a sudden this issue has come up and I would like to know what it is."
All 12 volunteers walked off the job about two months earlier, after a Department of Primary Industry and Environment (DPIE) audit required the council to install a permanent staff member at the marsupial park.
The volunteers were not impressed with the new rules and regulations at the park they had successfully managed for more than a decade.
TRC general manager Paul Bennett said that new regulations had made the running of such parks much more complex and the council had received advice that unless the operation changed the animals would have to be removed.
"The required management changes meant the volunteers had to change the way they operated to meet the obligations of DPIE and National Parks and Wildlife," he said.
"At the end of the day there just wasn't a meeting of minds."
The council's regional services director Peter Resch said staff had tried to mend issues with the volunteer group but it could not be done, so the group chose to be disbanded.
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Councillor Helen Tickle said she was filled with regret moving a motion that disbanded the Friends of Tamworth Marsupial Park after all of their hard work.
"They completely transformed the park, those who lived here know the park had gone to wrack and ruin under council management," she said.
"It has been a show-piece, it has won awards, it is one of the most visited attractions in Tamworth.
"What I would like to see and have guaranteed is that park does not fall into a state of disrepair or go backwards at all."
All the councillors agreed the Friends of Tamworth Marsupial Park needed to be properly thanked for their contribution to the city.
The volunteer group was formally disbanded after a speech from Cr Charles Impy, a former vice-president of the group who kindly referred to each other as "Parkies" and a member for the last 11 years.
"When I first started as a Parkie in October 2009, I was at a stage in my life where things weren't too flash, I was about to go through a divorce and other hurtful moments and it was what kept me afloat," he said.
"They are not staff members, you can't tell them what to do because they will pack them up and go home - and that's what happened in this group.
"On behalf of the Parkies, thank you to the community for looking after us and the business sector for making things possible."
The council voted unanimously to disband the sub-committee and transfer all benefits and liabilities to the council.