The waste manager now tells us that council are still looking at several netting options, but we should not be looking at total containment of litter at the tip face and there will be roving patrols to pick up litter on the remaining portion of council’s 400 acres!

Are we expected to believe litter knows its boundaries and this problem will not affect neighbouring properties? Current tip sites are positioned in cul de sacs, with excellent tree barriers and no visual impact on neighbouring properties. Wanatta Lane is open farmland and visually exposed.

Again, if BVSC’s current tips are anything to go by, we will have a major problem for many kilometers.

We reiterated that we currently live in a pristine area and that we expect it to remain so.

Council staff were also told less than 100 per cent containment of litter at the active waste cell was a totally unacceptable situation. When this apparent lack of care for locals happens, council and councillors phones will be ringing off the hook with complaints until the site is cleaned up!

This begs the question, is council capable of 100 per cent litter containment or is this still further proof of the site’s unsuitability?

The issue of screening tip operations from its neighbours was again raised. This has been an issue that the original waste manager had promised would be achieved by the tree plantings council undertook. These plantings have all but failed, and when we brought this issue up, the subject was promptly changed. We got the feeling that this was something they would rather not discuss. Wonder why?

During questioning on the previous EIS, one of council’s consultants referred to the residents of the Bega Shire as being ‘apathetic’ as only 30 odd submissions had been put in. When she was told that over 900 residents had signed a petition against the tip, she said that council only counted the petition as one submission!

To me, this seems to be a bit of ‘creative accountancy’ by council to actively downplay the real amount of people objecting to this project.

It was further pointed out to the consultants and council staff present, that not everyone could afford to buy council’s EIS!

Amazingly, you must first purchase council’s EIS, so that you can read it and then write a submission to protect your home and loved ones.

You could of course, spend countless hours reading a copy at the library. It is in all, 1400 pages plus, and full of tech speak that most lay people would have a problem understanding, let alone replying to.

A request was put to council to have a simplified version made available for the general population, free of charge. No response has been forthcoming.

The waste manager now also tells us that the figure of $4.5 million given for the construction of the proposed waste facility at the meeting at Wolumla Hall on July 16, 2009, was actually only for the first waste cell and some other works.

Given that there will eventually be six cells in total, and given that most Council projects double in cost from their first estimate, it would be fair to say this proposed project will end up in the order $54 million. That equates to about $3000 per rateable property within the shire. Looks like some more rate hikes in the future!

The above figures do not include the road works associated with this project, which were given as $450,000 at the Wolumla Hall meeting. After the revelation above, we now find this figure also questionable.

Council has told us that they will now be destroying ‘only’ 95 trees as part of these road works to widen Wanatta Lane. This figure also does not include trees that will have their drip lines permanently damaged by these works or the wildlife, which will be killed or displaced. We have reiterated our position to council that a far less invasive approach needs to be looked at in regard to this important wildlife corridor. Although, if the people in the surrounding areas don’t count, what hope do the animals have?

As far as wildlife is concerned, we have still not heard from council how they intend to protect the existing native species currently on site from its waste facility operations.

Reports have reached us of kangaroo deaths from leachate poisoning at some existing facilities. This issue needs to be addressed.

The first waste manager on this project Dimitri Scordaledes sold the people of Wolumla with the idea that council wanted to be a good neighbour, and that this would be a ‘state of the art’ facility, having high quality environmental performance and safety.

In a brochure given to Wolumla residents (see copy at www.begatip.com.au) he goes on to say all concerns will be addressed and that new technologies including organics processing, treatment of all waste by shredding and windrowing, tunnel composting and waste to energy, would take place in enclosed covered facilities.

What has happened to all this?

The truth of the matter, with regards the proposed BVSC central waste facility, would appear to be totally the opposite. Council is now only prepared to do a two-bob job, and considering what we were first lead to believe, I find all of this, totally reprehensible.

Jeff Smith

Wolumla

Marine park myths and legends

Mr Fleming, president of Coastwatchers (Letters September 30), believes the Liberal/National Coalition is trying to divide the community by rejecting the Green conservation push for more Marine Parks in NSW and revisiting the current zoning within the parks.

What is wrong in allowing recreational fishing families access to good fishing areas in our tourist region? What is wrong in questioning the attitudes of the conservation representatives on the Batemans Marine Park Advisory Committee (BMPAC)?

NSW marine parks, including the Batemans Marine Park, sole purpose is to restrict fishing. However no evidence has been given that shows fishing to cause any problem. The Batemans Marine Park makes no attempt to protect against any of the true threats to the marine environment.

There are:

NO restrictions on agricultural pollution or runoff, probably the principal reason for poor spawning and juvenile fish survival in South Coast estuaries.

NO restrictions on urban runoff and siltation a major cause of algal blooms in our closed lakes at the moment. Many of the synthetic compounds now washed down our stormwater drains are causing devastating effects on the waterways.

NO management of feral marine pests. The Marine Parks Authority has identified a couple of problems, they have no intention of trying to correct them.

NO restriction on the six Eurobodalla sewerage outfalls into the Marine Park.

NO management guidelines for opening estuaries to prevent the ecological disaster about to affect Kianga Lake, with the consequent effects on local residences. The MPA staff will be looking at the pretty Weedy Sea Dragons around Montague Island instead.

The NSW Labor Government, the Marine Parks Authority and the university based “green” scientists say “NSW marine park zonings are not designed to address all the threats to the oceans such as pollution, disease, invasive species, and climate change”.

Instead they claim that banning fishing in the Batemans Marine Park will save our marine ecosystems. Are these people delusional, or are they trying to hoodwink the people of NSW?

The BMPAC conservation “representatives” should hang their heads in shame. Instead of trying to increase the areas closed off to family fishing they should be joining anglers in trying to address the real threats to our marine environment.

Dr Philip Creagh

Narooma Port Committee

Narooma

Sydney Water contributes to algal bloom

An interesting article re excess algal growth on South Coast beaches and bays.

I am now retired after fishing the ocean beaches and waters since 1944, and I have observed Wonboyn beaches from my childhood.

I can definitely say that the algal growth (brown slime) has increased manyfold during that period.

Although conceding the Merimbula and Eden outfalls are a minor contributor overall they do contribute and any reduction from all sources must be commended.

By far the largest contributor is Sydney Water - from 10-year-old figures, two million tonnes of untreated sewage daily. From a Sydney Water paper shown me by an ex Bega Valley councillor the only treatment it receives is screening for solids. What a joke!

And the Greens and urban conservationists do not want to know about it.

Of course the pollution that causes excess algal growth is the nutrients that cannot be treated out of sewage other than by promoting vegetation where it does good, and the nutrients absorbed. Any other release into the marine environment is therefore harmful.

Geoff Collet

Deparo, Caloocan City

Looking for like-minded people

I am fairly new to Merimbula and the Sapphire Coast. I think it is a wonderful area but feel there is a lack of facilities for social contact for more senior people outside the usual pubs and clubs scene.

There is a wealth of knowledge and skills in this area that could be enhanced and promoted by friendly interaction amongst the community.

To this end, I would like to establish some sort of forum for those who want to expand their life experiences and learn new skills. One that would also allow the sharing of skills and knowledge and at the same time enable participation in and enjoyment of planned events, to have fun and to meet similar souls.

Events that spring to mind are bush treks, book club, card games, shopping expeditions to say Aldi in Victoria, to share meals; even the occasional cultural trip to Sydney shows and exhibitions.

I propose therefore to established a web page that would list suggested upcoming events where people could indicate their interest and participation. Longer term perhaps would be the establishment of a community shed/cafe manned by volunteers.

To ascertain likely demand for such a group I would like some feedback from the community. My email is gilfreitag@hotmail.com

Gisella Freitag

Merimbula

Merimbul a Library

It is difficult to share Ms Amberg’s enthusiasm (Merimbula News Weekly, September 23) for the temporary (5 to 10 years) relocation of the Merimbula Library to the Austwide Projects location. The move is from the centre of town (everybody needs to shop at Woolworths) to a backwater site with awkward pedestrian access.

As usual we are being treated as mushrooms and fed hype and kept in the dark about the council’s intentions regarding the present library building. The library move is because of those intentions. There is room for library expansion in the present building into the unused office space.

If the Council intends to sell the Main Street building then we need to ensure that the funds raised are spent in Merimbula and do not just disappear into Bega’s revenue.

Sep Paterson

Merimbula

Bill of rights

In response to the article “A bill of rights would rewrite the rules” on page 10, News Review, of this Saturday’s Sydney Morning Herald.

The argument that a bill of rights transfers power from elected governments, politicians, to unelected judges seems to suggest that a bill of rights cannot be so worded as to restrict its interpretation. That is to say that a bill of rights would be so loosely framed that it can mean whatever a judge wants it to mean.

Why this should be so is not obvious to me, and if it is so then I take it that any legal document is likely to be similarly limitless in its possibilities. Surely this is not the case.

Secondly, the idea that elected governments can be relied upon to carry out the will of the people and should not be subject to any restrictions on their actions by “non elected” judges has, for me, one glaring weakness.

For us, the voters, what really goes on in government and decisions taken are at best poorly understood and at worst for many, I would say most, not just poorly understood but of little interest.

And so politicians should be allowed to carry on with no rules restricting decisions, such as a bill of rights might contain, because we know don’t we, that they are never self serving; never concerned with holding on to power or trying to obtain power; never beholden to factions but always and exclusively working for the betterment of their constituents.

Pull the other one!

Barry Stevens

Tura Beach

Town behind the boys

On Monday, September 28, the Merimbula Public School AFL team travelled to San Remo on the Central Coast to compete in the Tony Lockett Knockout Shield.

We couldn’t have travelled that far to compete without the assistance of the incredible Merimbula businesses, clubs and people who sponsored us.

We would like to give a huge thank you to: Merimbula Ice Creamery; Harris Scarfe; Brief Affairs; Merimbula Diggers Footy Club; Made By You; Merimbula Home Nursing Service; Merimbula Dry Cleaning; Merimbula Lakeview Hotel; Baydell; Kennedy and Cooke Solicitors; Merimbula Bay Clothing; Merimbula Hourglass Jewellers; Merimbula Reality; Booktique; Garry Collins; Eden Milk and Chilled Foods; Merimbula Health Information Pharmacy; Gloria Jeans; Retravision; Toyworld; Chris O’Brien Sports Shop; Summerland Travel; Sports Power; Brett and Nanny from the Waterfront; Melissa Pattie; Simons Surf Shop; Club Sapphire; McDonalds; Amcal Pharmacy; The Wharf; Insulfix and Woolworths.

Thanks to your generous support we came second and are the NSW State Runners Up!

Luke Higgins and Callan Sinclair

on behalf of Merimbula Public

School AFL Team

Editor’s note: While the thank you of sponsors is not appropriate for this page we make an exception in this case as the letter was written by two of the boys who participated and their public acknowledgement of assistance means it meant a lot to them.

Banner mystery

The congregation of the Merimbula Uniting Church were surprised to discover that the colourful “Jesus. All about life.” banner that had hung on the front of their church for three weeks had been removed. There was space where it had been so they put a rough copy of the JAAL logo on a blue tarpaulin, which read: “Jesus. All About Life.”

To the person or persons who stole our banner, we are going to pray for you.

We hope that the person(s) concerned are ready for changes because we have another sign inside our church brought back from Cambodia by Mr Tim Bradley, Church Council chairperson, on one of his visits to aid orphans in that country. The sign reads: “Prayer changes things”.

Brian Lenehan

Uniting Church Minister

Merimbula

The enemy from within

A retired ALP politician once told me of his first day in Federal Parliament. Labor were in power and as he sat in the chamber, he said to a colleague sitting next to him, “Ah, at last I can see the enemy.”

His colleague replied “No mate, that’s the Opposition. The enemy are sitting behind you!”

Malcolm Turnbull must be experiencing a strong sense of this at the moment as his Coalition colleagues go about their job of white-anting his leadership.

As the German Chancellor discovered 65 years ago, fighting on two fronts is one front too many.

Turnbull must be thinking of the comic strip character Pogo who famously said, “We have seen the enemy and the enemy is us.”

Time to dust off his application to join the ALP?

David Kindon

Merimbula

How to make our hospital

system ship-shape

Whilst reading an article in the daily newspaper re the Federal Government deploying the Australian Navy’s hospital ship to tsunami stricken Samoa and Tonga, a sudden rush of blood flowed through my veins.

As we all know, the NSW hospital system is in absolute chaos and the management of our local hospitals, especially at Pambula and Bega, through the moribund Southern Area Health Service is a basket case. Solution; ask our Federal member to deploy the hospital ship to Merimbula after it completes its tour of duty in Samoa.

End result - a federally funded hospital service operating from the Merimbula Wharf to service the needs of all of the tens of thousands of people living and holidaying south of Bega.

Oh how we all dream of one day having a hospital system that can satisfy the growing needs of the shire’s major growth region, Eden and Merimbula!

Peter Charlton

Merimbula