'David and Goliath': Ed's fight for justice

Woolworths heard the protests of local shoppers loud and clear, after many stated on Facebook they would no longer shop there as a result of recent renovations that to many made it more difficult to enter the store.

They have reversed their controversial decision to remove the customer entrance closest to Byron Place, which sparked community backlash earlier in the month.

One of the most prominent voices in opposition to the changes was Ed DeLong.

After Ed learnt the entrance closure was a permanent decision, he took to social media and asked the Mudgee community to support him in his protest against the changes.

"My name is Ed DeLong and I am one of Mudgee's elderly residents for whom a physical disability makes ordinarily difficult activities even harder," he wrote.

"Time spent observing the result has convinced me that without major changes this design change is both inconvenient and appears to be potentially dangerous."

"I urge the management of Woolworths to move the store's entrance to the Byron Place side of that bottleneck and I am asking other shoppers - and particularly those with a disability - to join me in this request."

It was the first time Mr DeLong had used social media, and was blown away with the result.

"I didn't realise how deep the community feelings were about this. I touched a nerve, and that's why there was this huge response," he said.

"When I saw the response building online I still didn't know whether it would have any persuasive power, and I thought of 'David and Goliath'."

The supermarket relented to community pressure and a meeting was held between Woolworths Operations Manager Michael McLean and Ed DeLong at the Mudgee store on Wednesday 24 March.

A Woolworths spokesperson said they were now undertaking a refurbishment at the Woolworths Mudgee store to create a better shopping experience for customers.

"We've listened closely to community feedback and revised our plans for the front end of the store to improve the accessibility to the Byron Place car park.

"We expect to finish these modifications in the next eight weeks in line with the broader refurbishment completion."

It's understood the Byron Place entrance will be reinstated and the self-serve check-out area will be redesigned. The Mortimer Street store entrance and trolley bay will be retained.

Woolworths discussed the changes with both the Mayor, Des Kennedy and Deputy Mayor, Sam Paine.

Mayor Des Kennedy said the Mudgee community shouldn't be underestimated.

"That's typical of Mudgee, there's no stronger community in the world than our community here. Ed DeLong did a good job convincing them to change it and the voice of the people is always the strongest thing."

Mr DeLong addressed the Mid-Western Regional Council at their meeting on Wednesday, March 17 with a plea to pressure the supermarket into changing its new layout.

Councillors sympathised with Mr Delong however said there was nothing they could do, other than apply pressure to the supermarket to resolve the issue.

Councillor Russell Holden noted a forced resolution fell outside their power.

"We all agree with you but I'm not sure what we can do now that we're this far down the track. I can't imagine what it'd be like if you had a disability," he said.

Mr DeLong has remained humble in the face of hundreds of comments of praise on social media.

"People have singled me out as the hero, whereas I feel like the Mudgee community is the hero. I didn't do it to draw attention to myself, I'm retired, I run a few sheep and I've got a little patch that occupies most of my time," he said.

Although Mr DeLong is thankful to Woolworths, he said the fight is not over yet.

"Woolies is to be commended for their prompt and positive response, but I want people to remember that they need to keep up the pressure. Don't give Woolies too much of a pat on the back until good intentions are turned into reality."

"People with disabilities are very often forgotten. I hope this reminds everybody that these people need to be kept in mind."