I’d like to congratulate all concerned, the organisers, the performers, everyone. A special mention to the MC, Sean Choolburra.

When all of us keen festival goers are no longer around, I envisage that the festival of the future will achieve truly great things…an annual festival where strong and important messages reach their target, where people arrive not only by car and bus but by boat across the picturesque waters.

It is a magnificent venue and the idea of such a gathering has so much potential. Thank you for a memorable day!

It was great to see our newly elected deputy mayor was all smiles and pressing the flesh at the Giiyong Festival last Saturday. 

I do wonder though whether the fantastic crew of First Nations musicians and those in the crowd realised our new deputy mayor only a week ago had voted against a motion to increase the employment prospects of the original owner community by opposing an extra weighting for council contract tenderers who employ Indigenous people. 

A nice simple way to help our community you would have thought. But not for Deputy Nadin, who described the increased emphasis on Indigenous employment as a “ball and chain on small business”.

Both metaphorically and realistically, that’s a pretty inappropriate way to treat the Indigenous community in our shire, many of whom are actually desperate to find work but are fighting an uphill battle due to entrenched racism and an “out of sight out of mind” attitude in the broader community. 

Mr Nadin has done nothing to help this situation with what seems to be politically motivated insensitivity and just a little hypocrisy to boot

We are told that it is very wicked for us to hold the court, or in particular a judge, in contempt.  But what else can we think about a judge that describes the sexual assault of a 12 year old girl by her grandfather as a "low to mid-range" offence? It often seems when judges hand down a lenient sentence they are if fact sentencing themselves.

Your article on the selective grant to Australian Oyster Coast quotes Andrew Constance as saying “Luke Foley hasn’t even spoken to our local oyster farmers. His lack of experience in government is clearly shining through.” Mr Constance seems to have forgotten that he, not Luke Foley, is the local member. 

Now Mr Constance says he will be meeting with industry representatives "to get the answers they need”. 

But he would not be searching for answers if he consulted with oyster growers in the first place. He would have known that the government's investment in one single company would disadvantage many in the industry. 

It is because I spent the time talking to a number of local oyster growers that I was alerted to the issues and then took the matter up with Luke Foley who has acted quickly in response. Meanwhile, Andrew Constance is still considering his response. 

As the Year 12 exams are almost us, I would like to remind students about this prize available for the top three students in Bega Valley Shire. You have to have an ATAR above 95 to apply. First prize is $350, second prize is $250 and third prize is $150. 

Wishing all Year 12 students the best of luck in the exam. Make Bega Valley proud.