letters to the editor

Preserving the history of the far south coast and hinterland in the form of oral and written accounts, photographs and artefacts has been the work of these societies, which has always been accessible to the public and they have striven to share the information with anyone who expressed an interest. In no way have the volunteers regarded local history as their “own preserve”, rather their aim has been to spread the knowledge they have gathered so the whole community can obtain an understanding of the history of the area.

It is also hard to understand why, instead of setting up his own group, he did not offer to harness his energy and share his own ideas with an existing umbrella organisation covering the area from Mallacoota to Bermagui and inland to Bombala and Cooma, namely the South East History Group Inc. The framework is already set up, the group meets quarterly in different regions and venues, has an established communication network and is always looking for new projects which will draw on the knowledge of the volunteers from this very wide area. The three events which Mr Lacey plans to hold and his newsletter are just the sort of initiatives which would be welcomed.

There is strength in numbers and it is helpful when people with similar interests operate cohesively so their impact on the community awareness is more concentrated and they can draw on a wider base to fulfil the aim of preserving our mutual history to share now and in the years to come.

I am of the opinion that the councillors should vote for the mayor.

Councillors would be the best group of people to know who should take this position. To throw the vote out to ratepayers is unnecessary. Councillors know who is best for the job.

Earlier this week I received a note in unsigned , non letter headed letter box.

The note said " This a a precautionary advice for cat owners.

Underlined: in bold the note says Cat traps are being considered for this area.

Please keep cats confined.

My neighbors have also received this note.

The Council Ranger has been advised by myself and neighbors.

All cats in the confines of our houses are confined and locked in at night. 

To the person that wrote the note, knock on a our doors if there is a problem.

I would also like to remind that person, that cat traps are not only illegal but punishable by law, any person with intention to entrap an animal will be reported to the police.

In this week’s meeting, the newly elected council are being asked to consider a request by Bunnings for a review of the NSW Department of Planning’s decision to reject a planning proposal to rezone land at Tura beach for a bulky goods warehouse facility.

This is despite the fact that the proposal has already been rejected twice by the Department because it does not comply with Council’s own strategic planning policies. On both occasions, the Department directed Council to review those planning policies if it wanted to pursue the proposal again. To date Council has ignored that direction.

The Bega Valley Shire Residents & Ratepayers Association (BVSRA) has written to Councillors recommending that it request the Department to defer its review of the proposal, pending action by the Council to carry-out a review of its own planning policies, as directed by the Department of Planning.         

The BVSRRA does not know why Council has previously refused to review its planning strategies, notwithstanding that it knew full well that it was supporting a planning proposal that did not comply with them.

The Association believes that Council’s actions serve only to undermine the standing of those planning strategies in the eyes of the community, sending confusing messages to those who might seek to make their homes or establish businesses in the shire, while placing the Council at odds with other planning authorities & showing itself to be willing to make important planning decisions with scant regard for planning policies & based on expediency

The Association believes that Council has an early & important opportunity to publicly demonstrate its absolute commitment to observing best practice standards of good governance, including respecting due process, while demonstrating the importance it places on the formulation & observance of strategic policy settings to best guide the future responsible development of the shire for the benefit of the community, while aligning itself with the NSW Department of Planning & Environment in this critical area of public policy.

We consider it a genuine case of respecting due process and not “putting the cart before the horse”, as has been the case up until now.