The decision to make this a prohibited area for dogs is excessive and unreasonable.

People - ratepayers - who have walked their dogs around from local housing to the lead-free beach, (some for decades) are now being targeted by Rangers and risk large fines that, up to earlier this year, were non-existent. What has changed?

Who makes these decisions that negatively affect our lifestyle? To my knowledge, no locals were approached for their input to this decision. Indeed, no explanation has been forwarded as to why the river mouth has become a dog free area.

Rangers have indicated one reason is to protect the national park upstream from this beach, to which I would suggest, wouldn't upstream be a better place to put dogs prohibited signage.

It seems ludicrous that the Bega Valley Shire can't regulate this beach in the same manner as almost any other beach on the South Coast and have seasonal accessibility times for dogs.

Many people affected by the banning of dogs are the same people who regularly remove garbage, discarded fishing tackle and other pollution from the river mouth and neighbouring beaches.

They are the responsible dog owners that clean up after themselves and others. I wonder if the council could have a rethink.

Merimbula, like many similar small coastal holiday destinations is in the deathly grip of demographic and economic pressures. I believe the local economy is on the verge of collapse.

The effects of an old, ageing and moribund population are there for everyone to see. A cursory glance around any of our clubs, cafes and eateries looks like an episode of God's Waiting Room (and I include myself in that!)

Added to this problem are the economic circumstances being experienced by residents and visitors to the town.

Discretionary spending is collapsing. When times get tough, spending focuses on life's necessities - food, accommodation, clothing, health - "treats" are sacrificed. The Australian economy is in trouble, exacerbated by the drought. The internet is killing boutique shops.

We only have to look down Market Street to see the impact of the new spending pattern. More shops closing every day - even real estate agents! The clubs are finding significantly reduced spending on poker machines and dining facilities.

Ominously, a prime example of discretionary spending is where, when, or even if, to spend the holiday dollar. If this flows through to Merimbula's holiday accommodation then we are in for serious trouble.

We could become a Ghost Town Theme Park I guess.

If you put a frog in a pan of water and heat it slowly, the frog doesn't realise is is going to die until it is too late. Wake up Merimbula!

In light of extraordinary recent comments by some of our colourful National Party members regarding the unprecedented wild fires on the mid/far north coast, I am more confused and worried than ever.

Deputy Premier John Barilaro's enlightening comment when echoing the extraordinary comments of our Deputy Prime Minister McCormack, describing the behaviour of 'greenies' and 'lefties' as a 'bloody disgrace' - because they had the audacity to raise the issue of climate change while fires continued to burn - provides an interesting 'compare and contrast' exercise with the subsequent comments of National Party backbencher Barnaby Joyce.

As usual, Barnaby adds huge value to the debate when he comments that two of the people that have died as a result of the fires would have 'most likely voted for the Greens'!

Whose comments represent the bigger disgrace here?

Anyway, who are these disgraceful bloody 'greenies' to which these highly esteemed and intelligent men refer?

Are these 'greenies' the Mayors of conservative LGAs of NSW or are they former Fire and Rescue Chiefs, experts for the Bureau of Meteorology, the CSIRO, our school children, bankers or farmers? Maybe some of them are victims of the wildfires themselves?

Or are they anti-coal seam gas and coal mine demonstrators, like the son of Joh Bjelke-Peterson, who has recently had to fight the coal and gas industry in court to save the family farm at Kingaroy where Flo baked her famous pumpkin scones?

It is not necessarily the case that these so called 'greenies' are regular and faithful green voters or even traditional left wing voters.

It may be that the majority of them are simply concerned Australians, some of whom would inhabit the heartland of the National/Liberal Coalition. Some of them may even be traditional National Party supporters, God forbid! No wonder these Nationals are getting so edgy!

At least when Joh Bjelke-Peterson unloaded on environmentalists it was sort of funny.

The environmental crisis we face today is far more serious and politicians bagging out seriously concerned citizens is not amusing anymore. It's just a bloody disgrace!

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