What an amazingly well organised and fantastic event it was - so many happy people and Narooma just sparkled.

We were surprised as we were setting up our stall, to be presented with a six-week old kitten in a shoe box that had just been found in North Narooma.

Within a couple of hours Oyster (as she has been named) was going home with our Cat Welfare Officer for some rest and food.

She will soon be ready for adoption.

Many thanks to our residents and the visitors for their generosity and support.

Our raffle prize of a hamper, knife set and chocolates was won by a local gentleman.

I would like to congratulate Cath Peachy and her team for a wonderful 2019 Narooma Oyster Festival.

The festival has really grown up this year.

The Festival has been continuously staged for approx 11 years and I have been involved for most of them.

The new Long Table dinner on the Friday night was superb and the food amazing. I was seated next to people who had come from Queensland, Sydney and Wollongong. They all declared to be back again for the 2020 Narooma Oyster Festival.

The Saturday also seemed seamless and the crowds who gathered to enjoy oysters and the music seemed very happy. Although I had little wind to get the kites MACS makes into the air this year the weather was perfect for a Festival.

Congratulations to everyone involved.

You did a mighty job.

The article on page 20 of Narooma News dated May 1 under the heading "infrastructure" triggered in me (and no doubt many other locals) a severe attack of deja vu.

I recall that a few years ago the then shire council engaged 'consultants' to beautify the area surrounding the Visitors' Centre and to destroy a row of lovely shade trees in front of the centre and replace them with the shrubbery now severely restricting the vision of drivers trying to exit the centre's car park. To be fair, the adjacent roundabout has proved very successful.

Shire Mayor Liz Innes is now advising that more consultants have been engaged to begin planning for the development of Narooma's public land, including Bill Smythe and NATA ovals. As on the last controversial occasion, this advice is the first inkling that any further development was pending. Certainly at least one regular and important user of NATA Oval has not yet been approached, namely the Narooma Dog Training Club, a branch of the NSW Animal Welfare League.

There will be other groups deeply concerned about these unspecified plans, since it appears to already involve strangers to the town, namely consultants again, telling the locals what's best for them. For a large fee, of course. Again.