I wish to express my sincere thanks to Eurobodalla Shire Council workers in Narooma.

We were on our way to Batemans Bay when we stopped at a Narooma bakery for morning tea.

All refreshed and ready to be on our way and flat battery. The ute refused to start.

A young lady noticed our plight and without hesitation asked one of the workers if they could help.

No problem was the reply, just give us a few minutes.

A short time later jumper leads arrived and another ute to breath life into our battery and we were on our way.

Thank you so much for your assistance. You are a credit to the whole community.

Neil Benson

Surfside

Thanks for the Flanno fundraiser support

On behalf of The Bastards Social Crew we would like to thank all who contributed to the Greg “Flanno” Flannery fundraiser night held on Saturday, July 19.

This includes a special thanks to all the Narooma businesses and individuals who gave up there time, donated their products and services, and as a small business owner with BAS being due I know you had to dig deep.

Great work those who played part in the auction and raffles on the night and Bob Burnside for a terrific job hosting the fundraiser as it was a first for most of us.

Thanks also to the Narooma Junior Rugby League Football Club for donating their club raffle money.

And to Club Narooma for the use of the function room and opening the function room bar.

And to The Dromedary Hotel for letting us run raffles and for the sale of tickets at the car show earlier this month.

We would also like to use this as an opportunity for all road users to be motorcycle aware, after nearly losing a close mate due to driver error.

As a group we can't stress how important it is take your time on the roads to look out for riders always indicate well in advance and make your actions clear to other road users before you change direction at intersections, overtaking and turning onto side streets.

Our helmets come off to Narooma for supporting of our fellow club member and rider, you couldn't get a better community.

Steve “Betto” Betteridge & the Bastards

Narooma

Off to Africa

I would like to give my sincerest thanks to my beautiful friends, Caitlin, Danielle, Sharyn, and the amazing community of Narooma, who took part in a fundraiser to assist me in getting the funds together so that I can take part in a once in a lifetime opportunity at Charles Sturt University.

I was given the chance to be a part of the scientific study and volunteer team to travel to Livingstone in Zambia to assist with the ALERT (African Lion Environmental Research Trust) conservation program in November.

The cost of the trip had to be self-funded so my beautiful friends decided to help my dream come true.

I am both humbled and overwhelmed by the generosity of the Narooma community who raised enough money to cover my airfare cost to Africa and return.

I have always said that the community of Narooma is always incredibly generous of their time, efforts and donations to people whenever needed and to do so for my benefit is very much appreciated.

I will be sending a personal thank-you to all the people and businesses who donated goods or their time, with a special memento from the ALERT program in Africa, and will be getting T-shirts made up with all my “sponsors” names printed which will be worn to acknowledge all the help I received.

Sharelle Davis

Wagga Wagga

Mayor's column… It is what it is! 

Last week's fortnightly council meeting kicked off with a full agenda and finished up as a long and quite exhausting day for all.

Councillors started the meeting process in Council's chambers at 2.30pm with a pre meeting briefing and the meeting officially closed six and a half hours later at 9pm.

While the business papers for this agenda were fairly modest with just a bit more than 100 pages and extra attachments to read and digest in the preceding week, there are always a number of complex and important decisions to be acted on.

This reminds me of the  first council meeting I ever attended as a councillor in 2008 where I had one week to read and digest a whopping 494-page agenda! It made War and Peace look like a walk in the park! 

As Councillors we are called on to be adequately  informed and able to make decisions on aspects of  all of the 121 services our council delivers to the community, and the 65 pieces of legislation that govern what we do.

We have one week to read the council meeting agenda and confidential attachments and to come up to speed on the various complex issue that come to Council.

All Councillors are invited to attend briefings and sometimes on site meetings about matters on upcoming agendas and these take place in the non-council meeting week and can often go all day as well.

We also represent the community and seek feedback on 20 council advisory committees, 11 external committees and four external committees with ministerial appointments and as most of you know from seeing me around the traps, I also attend many community activities and official functions.

Having said that, this is what we put our hands up for when we stood for Council and the workload is what it is. As mayor I can tell you that the opportunity to work seven days a week for this community is as rewarding as it is hard and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

While you may not always agree with our decisions, or have had the time to do the research that we undertake on your behalf, I believe that everyone would agree that committed councillors clearly put the hours into their job.

In my two years as mayor and as council's spokesperson in media, I have had the opportunity to build and broaden my knowledge on funding, community services, economic development and tourism, planning, infrastructure, water, waste and rates and much more.

I have learned what is possible and worth fighting for, how and when to compromise and be flexible to achieve a good outcome, and the issues that we have no control over.

A good guide to being an effective Councillor is the wonderful serenity poem or prayer that was written by an American theologian in the 1930s and that has since been adopted by Alcoholics Anonymous and some other twelve-step programs – not that I have any personal experience of these.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.

Please let me know if there are any issues that council can assist with. You can contact me at mayor@eurocoast.nsw.gov.au or phone 0418 279 215.

Clr Lindsay Brown

Mayor of Eurobodalla Shire

Check your sources

In his letter to the Narooma News of July 23, Mr Mark Ikonen rejoices in advising that soon 90 per cent of ACT's electricity requirements will come from the wind farms adjacent to Lake George.

Perhaps his letter was submitted prior to the news on July 21 that no wind power whatsoever was produced in southern Australia on July 21. Nil, zilch, zero.

If Mr Ikonen's claim is correct, I feel the ACT is in for some torrid times.

Over past months, I have been past the Lake George area 28 times, and have seen the turbines operating only 5 times.

Not an impressive figure.

When turbines are not operating, when winds are too weak or too strong, power must be bought in from elsewhere at premium "spot" rates at many many times the regular  coal based rates.

Neither wind nor solar can ever offer constant unfailing power. That's a fact.

Mr Ikonen claims inside knowledge of the internal workings of the Coalition Government.

I find this as a surprise, being a member of the Liberal Party, that his claimed sources are more extensive than mine.

A source he quoted in an earlier letter declared that Glencore Mining made $14 billion profit and paid no income tax.

That source, Chris Evans, of the School of Business, University of NSW, Sydney, has admitted he was, ahem, somewhat in error. In a letter to "The Australian", he concedes that Glencore Mining had a 14$billion turnover, and paid income tax of $400 million on it.

I leave it to readers to form an opinion as to how Mr Evans could have been so wrong, but suggest to Mr Ikonen that he fact-check his sources before making claims.

Frank O'Brien

Narooma