Once in the water you can drown for any number of reasons, panic being one of the likely reasons.

The control that is required is a raised fence that will help prevent children in particular from falling into the water.

While children are my main concern let’s not forget that anyone falling into the sea off the wharf is at risk, especially at night and especially if the sea is rough.

The wharf is a public place visited by numerous tourists, many of whom are unaware of the unforgiving nature of the sea.

Most people would not go out in a boat with only a deck but no sides, but these same people do walk on the wharf with children and lean over the edge.

What happened was clearly foreseeable and equally foreseeable is the fact that it could so easily happen again.

Any safety controls that do not address the issue of children or adults falling into the sea off the wharf are, I believe, inadequate.

It is the same with many situations in safety terms: a stack hat for kids riding push bikes does nothing to prevent, say a log truck from hitting the bike rider.

I understand that a fence may interfere with fisherpersons landing fish, I know that people can climb over a fence, I also know that the risk to the pubic is far too great the way things are now.

It is difficult to control the risk-taking behaviours of some and so after they fall into the sea because they climbed over the fence the life ring and all the other possibly good rescue ideas come into play.

Outside of closing the wharf to the public what control other than a fence will effectively prevent children from slipping, tripping and falling into the water?

The Christmas holidays are approaching.

The tourists are coming with their children and they will be drawn to the wharf which is the site of one of the saddest events to befall our local community.

Could such a thing happen again?

Should the controllers of the wharf do something other than concentrate on a rescue plan?

My views are clear: something needs to be done to stop the accident in the first place.

Maybe a fence is planned, I hope so, but if it is not on the agenda I would like to know the rationale for not considering it as an essential control.

Paul Cozens

Tathra

Thanks Andrew

I would like to thank Andrew Constance and his staff for their assistance.

Recently I had a call from my internet service provider suggesting I change my existing account to a new product they offered, which I agreed to.

The provider then proceeded and deactivated my existing service before activating the new service, even though it was agreed that my existing service would still be active for six months.

After two days on the phone to the provider and being informed that the new service had not been ordered as yet and that it was impossible to reactivate a deactivated account.

I spoke to Mr Constance’s office and asked for their help.

I supplied Mr Constance all the details and by the end of business that same day, my original service was reactivated.

The impossible was achieved.

Not satisfied with that, I proceeded to insist that the provider supply me with the original proposed deal and again with the help of Mr Constance I had my new service provided, my existing service upgraded and kept active for six months at no cost to me and a substantial credit applied to my account for my loss of business and time spent having the provider supply what was proposed.

I have come to the realisation that to hold a telecommunication company accountable you need to take notes every time you speak with them, note the time and duration of the call, the names of the people you speak to, the amount of times you are transferred.

Make sure you ask for reference numbers and email addresses.

Be specific in what you require and don’t take no for an answer.

But most of all don’t be afraid to ask for help from your local MP, because without this help they don’t even listen.

Once again, a big thank you to Andrew Constance and his staff.

Bernie Heffernan

Candelo

Loggi ng spoils

welcome

What a welcome Bermagui holiday makers will receive this summer when they arrive at the northern gateway to the Australian Coastal Wilderness.

Not the most accessible temperate forests in the world but a bared, hot, parched and lifeless landscape behind a fringe of trees.

Why do Forests New South Wales have all the power?

No matter what recommendations scientists at Department of Environment make, no matter what representations conservation groups like SERCA make or oyster growers or fishing or Tourism, the loggers get their way.

Politicians are scared of timber interests.

They still shudder to think of Mark Latham versus timber workers in Tasmania, yet the polls as always show that 77 per cent of people want native forest logging stopped.

According to Forests NSW, the Bermagui trees to be logged are only 60 years old but the evidence from the logdump taken recently after the logging started shows logging has concentrated on trees much older than that.

Patches of these forests have been heavily logged before and they and the dependant plants and animals are struggling to hang on as regrowing trees suck up critical water.

This is part of a critical and narrow habitat corridor between the ocean and farmland and feeding grounds for Swift Parrots, the dwindling koala population and other threatened species, as well as the many other species not yet considered threatened but which require hollows and healthy forests for their long term survival.

Logging kills individual animals immediately and when the rotation times between intensive logging is much shorter than will allow for the development of hollows then entire species will eventually cop it.

While you still can, take the Spotted Gum Road, stop at Black Lagoon, a Marine Park, beyond which you can see the scared mountain, Gulaga.

Look at a map and see the critical creek lines that should be feeding this Marine Park.

I am amazed that State Forests fails to see the beauty of these spotted gum forests and recognise their potential as a botanical garden, surely a more appropriate entrance to this Coastal Wilderness.

I am also amazed that the State Government does not stop the degradation and recognise forests as essential to stop climate change through carbon sequestration, critical water catchments and the beauty of a diverse wildlife for adaption to global warming.

Prue Acton

Wallagoot