Merimbula residents and visitors alike have bid farewell to 2016 and heralded in the beginning of the new year at celebrations on Saturday night.
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It was estimated that as many as 10,000 people attended the family-focused New Year's Eve festivities at Ford Park and for the vast majority it was a night to remember.
The night was a triumph, especially for the big team of volunteers who gave their time to ensure that the crowd enjoyed this special event. And, of course, we must acknowledge the work of police, paramedics, RFS and groups such as Sapphire Life Church for ensuring that people of all ages partied safely.
It is unfortunate, however, that for a small number of young people and their parents, the night will be memorable for all the wrong reasons.
Pastor Jeremy Fernando reported that a number of underage drinkers required treatment in the first aid tent, including a number of 12 and 13-year-olds.
It's not easy being a parent of a child of any age, and the pre-adolescent and teenage years can prove particularly challenging. But along with the many joys of parenthood come responsibilities. When it comes to parenting, there is no such thing as time out, it's a 24/7, 365 day-a-year responsibility.
Parents of young Merimbula revellers are in no way being singled out. In Canberra, for example, police reported that 26 teenagers were taken into custody for underage drinking. The problem with underage drinking is that it is not only illegal, but it an also be dangerous. Excessive alcohol at any age can impair otherwise good judgment, and the consequences can be catastrophic as they get behind the steering wheels of cars or into passenger seats, decide to take a late night dip in the ocean or have unprotected sex. The list of possibilities is as long as it is frightening.
Parents can be thankful that the late night knock at their door was someone delivering their pre-adolescent or young teenage son or daughter who had been caught drinking; it may well have been the police delivering much worse news.
It could be argued that the relevant bodies need to do more to counter Australia's drinking culture and spread the message that underage drinking is not cool.
But the bottom line is that parents need to make a new year’s resolution to take responsibility and know where their children are, who they are with and what they are doing … even at family events in Merimbula.
