When six-year-old Pat Staunton went down with her family to see the opening of the Barney’s Point Bridge at Banora Point, she didn’t know what she was starting.
Sixty years later the by then married Pat Benstead returned to watch the opening of the brand new larger Barney’s Point Bridge.
She even went to the opening of the bridge at Broadwater – where the original Barney’s Point opening span was relocated after the new bridge was built in 1996.
“I had to go and see where my span went,” she laughed.
“Someone over there called me a bridge nerd!”
And so when she heard that they were opening the new bypass to the public, the 82-year-old great grandmother knew she had to be there to see it.
So she hopped on the courtesy bus and was one of the hundred or so people that braved the weather to be there.
“But there is no water under this one,” Pat laughed.
Nevertheless she was still fascinated with the new structure which will be open to traffic (one way at least) in a couple of weeks.
