Anzac Hercules flyover
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Following the innovative and successful flyover of nine NSW South Coast towns by a RAAF Hercules C130 aircraft during each centenary service, the Eurobodalla and Far South Coast National Servicemen, who were organisers of the event, wondered how they could properly thank everybody involved.
Those involved included many state and federal government contacts, local RSL Sub-Branch members, Anzac Day event organisers and our own hard working committee.
But more importantly we wanted to acknowledge the actual RAAF crew and organisers, who by their precision timing and navigation, added so much to the Centenary Anzac Day memorial ceremonies in our rural districts.
The end results was that many of the photos, media reports and comments from those who attended the day’s services were compiled and formed into a short slide presentation to record the event.
Alan Shepherd, President of the Eurobodalla and Far South Coast National Servicemen’s Association says “This has been forwarded onto Group Captain Frank Grigson, Director of Air Force Centenary Events and the Hercules C130 crew as a gesture of our appreciation.”
The Anzac Day slide presentation covering towns including Batemans Bay, Moruya, Tuross Head, Bermagui, Narooma and Bega can be viewed at https://youtu.be/89Iq2uf5ur0
Paul Pereira
Publicity Officer
Eurobodalla and Far South Coast National Servicemen’s Association
Leisure centre for well-being
The publicly owned Sports And Leisure Centre in the main street of Narooma was intended for activities that contribute to the well-being of the community and its children. The Police Citizens Youth Club satisfies this criteria, and is appreciated for the work it does.
The building it occupies on crown land was never intended to be used as a retail outlet for guns in conjunction with a celebration of hunting.
Gun proliferation is abhorrent to most Australians, and council does the area a dis-service by letting it appear as if our community condones it.
Making gun ownership accessible and desirable in a festival atmosphere runs the risk of influencing vulnerable children to believe that that killing is easy and fun.
If the HuntFest people are proud of what they are doing why was an ABC TV crew prevented beyond the gate?
Susan Cruttenden
Dalmeny
The future for our Narooma Visitors Centre
MANY weeks have passed since the community was made aware of a proposal to implement a new model for delivery of visitor services in the Eurobodalla Shire.
There was a packed public gallery at the council meeting on March 24 and requests were made for more time to consider and discuss the impact on the community to the proposal.
There was a “full house” at the Chamber of Commerce meeting of concerned residents and tourism operators when Cath Reilly presented the Proposal. It was not a happy audience. No-one in attendance stood up and supported it, the majority opposed it.
Submissions were written and forwarded to council.
Letters to councillors, members of parliament and the Narooma News were sent.
Petitions opposing the proposal have been signed and continue to be signed.
So where do we go from here?
The overwhelming mood within our community is that we want the Narooma Visitor Information Centre to stay as is, with the “visionary” concept of expanding it to include a cultural centre, a revenue-making business, i.e. booking of tours, accommodation, bus ticketing, guided walks etc.
The hub of tourism for visitors and locals, in fact! (with easy access for cars, boats, caravans in the extended car park, the new seating and toilet facilities, and position, position!)
FACTS: All revenue making facilities have ceased at the VIC, excluding bus ticketing and souvenir sales.
No accommodation bookings, no tour bookings, no online booking system, no tourism industry membership.
Opening hours have been reduced.
Staff hours reduced.
Staff morale…at an all-time low.
New toilet facilities and office currently being installed (at considerable cost).
The question to council is why?
Does the community want the Narooma Visitors Centre to stay open?
Does the ESC have a mandate to change the status quo?
Do we want to be the only shire on the South Coast not to have a “bricks and mortar” VIC?
Submissions have been tabled at the Tourism Advisory Board on Thursday, June 18.
We now wait for the proposal, or an amended one, to be tabled at an ordinary council meeting.
Over 2,000 signatures have been recorded on a petition opposing the planned proposal to implement a new model for delivery of visitor services in the Shire and will be given to Clr Innes next week.
Outcome? The community fear is that it is already “a done deal”.
Our hope is that our Narooma Visitors Centre stays open and continues to be staffed by the trained, professional, knowledgeable and friendly staff we have there now.
We are not against change, we welcome new and inventive digital marketing strategies – can’t we have both?
Lesley Heffernan
Narooma
A Tale of Two Towns
So Eurobodalla Shire Council is excited to announce that it has received funding to host a new festival in our shire.
The purpose of the River of Diversity Festival is to celebrate our Shires cultural diversity.
Film screenings, dancing, singing and food events are just some of the activities planned for the week.
How exciting for Moruya residents to have their town chosen to host it.
How sad for Narooma residents that it was chosen by the council to host a festival of killing innocent animals and an Arms Fair!
Heather Irwin
Narooma
Mayor's say… A wide scope of activity
My Sunday nights are often spent writing and reading – usually I prefer the latter but with a whopping 189-page council agenda in front of me to digest by Tuesday’s council meeting, writing this week’s column seems like a breeze!
And in case you might think I’m getting off lightly, this week’s agenda has to be read with two extra sizable attachments, so a few late nights ahead.
By the time you read this, councillors will have considered and made decisions on items ranging next year’s annual plans and budgets and our Fit for the Future improvement proposal for the NSW Government, to licences for kayaking activities and a proposal to temporarily waive fees for outdoor dining to support business growth.
We will have looked at planning reports about development control plans, the Rural Lands Strategy, flying foxes, and a submission to the NSW Environment Protection Agency.
We may have approved some tenders, and appointed new community representatives to our Coast and Environment Management and Disability Advisory committees, and reviewed a detailed traffic report.
I expect we will have had people from our community attend the meeting, and heard from some about matters on the agenda and maybe some other issues.
And as always I expect we will have had some robust debate to support our decision making.
The scope of responsibilities in local government is broad and complex and this week’s agenda is a good example of the cross section of activities your councillors have to be across as part of our decision making process.
As we head towards the end of the financial year it’s timely to thank the three independent community members who volunteer to be on our audit committee.
Along with the chairman Ken Mitchell, Sharlene Cohen and Mark Barraclough also sit on the committee and all three bring extensive business, finance and governance expertise to the table.
Throughout the year this committee reviews council's audit reports, investments, year-end budgets, the draft delivery and operational plans, service reviews, the income we receive from council facilities and the financial operations of the Batemans Bay Beach Resort.
This year the committee also took the time to look at our Fit for the Future Improvement proposal and have confirmed that due process has been followed in its preparation.
Over the next three years, the committee will have an important job in monitoring the implementation of the special rate variation, and making sure that after year three, annual funds from the increase will be allocated to renew or upgrade existing roads, bridges, reserves and building facilities.
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
Whales “correction”
I would like to make a correction regarding last week’s story, “Northerly Migration Hits Full Stride”.
In the article, I am quoted as, “questioning what the big deal was as I’d seen several pods move through over the last four to six weeks”, in relation to a local skipper’s whale photos being picked up by a national TV station.
This is incorrect. What I actually asked skipper Matt Betts (or Bettsy, as he is more commonly known!) via Facebook, was, “why on the news, they’ve been heading up for the last 4-6 weeks, was there something special about these ones?”
The reason I asked Bettsy this question (and who’d have thought a Facebook quote was interesting enough as to be incorrectly re-quoted in print?!), was to find out if there was, indeed, something special about these whales.
Were they perhaps being followed by killer whales; was the white whale there; was one maybe entangled? All very interesting possibilities when you enjoy whale watching.
I’ve asked for this correction as the misquote sounds rather rude, whereas my actual question was literally just an interested query to a mate.
The Wild About Whales NSW Facebook page is a great place to log whale sightings, as well as to find out where the sightings are happening. So if you’re interested, you should certainly take a look.
And I suppose while I’m here I should clarify that I am no more a wildlife photographer, than anyone else with a camera who likes to take pictures of animals!!
Jon Poyner
Dalmeny
Misleading statistic
While I defend Senator Leyonhjelm's right to express his opinions in these pages, and while I have no particular axe to grind on the subject of the recent Huntfest, I feel bound to object strongly to the senator's breathtakingly arrogant assumption that this shire's residents are so simple-minded as to accept his outrageous statement in last week's 'Narooma News' and I quote:
"I understand there are only a few dozen activists in Eurobodalla opposing Huntfest, but Australia has 300,000 hunters."
This is clearly a ludicrously misleading comparison. 300,000 hunters Australia-wide must surely be compared with the number of citizens who are opposed to guns Australia-wide, and there must be millions.
To present his spurious 'statistic' reveals in the good senator an unhealthy contempt for the intelligence of Narooma News readers.
If he demonstrates this contempt to his electorate, his future political career will deservedly be very brief indeed.
Politicians making silly statements are becoming all too common, and I hold deep fears for the future of this country should the standards of governance not improve drastically - and soon. Senator Leyonhjelm is not alone.
Peter Robinson
Narooma
Rather bizarre foray
I read with interest Senator David Leyonhjelm's comments (Narooma News June 17) about “a few dozen activists in Eurobodalla opposing HuntFest”.
Presumably, the information that a majority of Eurobodalla residents participating in the council's survey on HuntFest opposed it did not reach Senator Leyonhjelm in his office in Drummoyne.
I would also suggest that perhaps his obsession with gun ownership (after all, he is the man who claimed that the Lindt cafe siege would not have occurred in the US because at least one of the victims would have been carrying their own gun) is what lies behind his rather bizarre foray into local politics on the South Coast.
Finally, if Senator Leyonhjelm thinks it a waste of money for Council to respond to matters of legality raised by the Environmental Defender's Office, then one can only assume he has no appreciation of the importance of proper process, good governance or the accountability which should accompany a democratic system.
Louise Webb
Kianga