Hospital thanks
Firstly, I would like to thank all the staff at the Bega District Hospital (BDH), from Pat at the front desk to Sue and all the staff (you know who you are).
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You all were wonderful when I needed help, and the staff on duty made sure I was comfortable at all times.
The staff (nurses, etc) were run off their feet.
Plus an extra special thanks to Dr Rajesh for my new left knee replacement.
To the physios I must apologise for my screaming on the Saturday, I was quite embarrassed with my performance but I couldn’t stand the pain anymore, but me and my physio are getting there.
Again thank you all for taking care of me.
The reason for this letter is to let people know the BDH is too small and doesn’t have enough staff, so the staff there are just run of their feet, plus there is nowhere to put your clothing.
Well good luck to all.
Johanna Ahkin
Bega
Parking objections
I have just read Ian Dalwood’s letter re the council’s proposal to remove a further large section of existing parking area from the Littleton Gardens (Zingel Place) precinct (BDN 22/8).
It takes a person with disabilities to make the effort to bring this travesty to our attention.
Well done Ian.
I agree with Ian and urge all residents who believe they need to retain this valuable central parking area to write to our local State Member, Andrew Constance in an effort to stop this ridiculous proposal to remove even more valuable parking space.
It is after all, crown land.
If over 400 objections to these proposals did not work, I can only conclude that speaking to the council will not work.
They appear to be fully in support of grass and trees rather than cars opposite the council offices no matter what the physical and financial cost to the elderly, disabled, ratepayers, residents and businesses in the regional centre.
As a retail business owner from another town I am disappointed that the business community in Bega appears to be silent on this assault on accessible parking in our regional centre.
My other concern is that this present council’s philosophy on removing parking could spread to other business centres in the shire.
Where will the users of the newly refurbished Bega town hall be expected to park – at the sports grounds and showground?
Sensible councils are creating parking areas, not removing them.
Janette Neilson
Bermagui
Maintenance work
Bermagui Flora and Fauna Reserve Trust, who administer the care of North Bermagui Lagoon and Long Swamp on behalf of Crown Lands, would like to thank David McCreery and Allan Aldridge of the South East Local Land Services Koori Work Crew.
The crew have completed maintenance of the Long Swamp bird hides – replacing awnings, broken boardwalk planks, Perspex covered signs and pruning around the hides.
The team were very helpful and cheery, completing work quickly and carefully.
The trust members were delighted with the results and hope the team are happy to work for them again.
Bermagui Flora and Fauna Reserve are always happy if anybody wishes to assist with ongoing weeding.
Contact us at PO Box 56A, Bermagui.
Annie Ray
Bermagui
Gun culture
At the forum on “Your Children and Guns” held on August 9 in Moruya, the few hunters in attendance interrupted angrily when any speaker quoted the American gun culture as an example that we do not want to follow.
This was in spite of the fact that the Narooma Huntfest, licensed by the Eurobodalla Shire Council to be held in the main street of Narooma every year for five years, has been specifically designed with American hunt festivals in mind.
These events make a point of encouraging children to enjoy hunting and so ensure the future of hunting clubs.
Our local Huntfest employs the same tactics - free admission for children under 16!
“We have tighter regulations” the local hunters may justifiably claim, and yet Australian parents, who are legally responsible for children using guns or bows and arrows, are no more reliable, vigilant, skilful or educated than their American counterparts and any relaxation of gun laws, such as proposed by the Shooters and Fishers Party would only be a retrograde step.
There are at present only six compliance officers for the whole of NSW, and understaffed Parks and Wildlife employees are understandably reluctant to take on the job of police.
Evidence from America is overwhelming.
No wonder the hunters didn’t want to listen to it.
RSPCA president Hugh Wirth is reported as saying, “You can’t on one hand encourage children to go out on killing sprees and then claim you can manage their respect for all living things.”
Although most parents instinctively feel it can’t be good to expose their offspring to traumatic events it has been difficult to prove scientifically until comparatively recently when brain scans on children exposed to violent images over a lengthy time reveal lack of development of the frontal lobes of their brains, the parts responsible for impulse control and limiting aggression (Australian Council on Children and the Media conference 4/10/2013).
If watching a video of true or make-believe violence is traumatic and de-sensitising, how much more so is seeing or even helping daddy to kill a deer or a feral dog with a gun and a knife?
Young brains are still developing.
Give our kids a chance to grow up and then make up their own more mature minds as to whether they want to take part in recreational hunting or not.
Susan Cruttenden
Dalmeny
Red Cross Appeal
The idea of a deadly and contagious virus with no cure is terrifying.
So imagine the courage it would take to nurse a neighbour who is sick from the Ebola virus, or bury your highly infectious wife, husband, child, sister or brother.
That is exactly what 1800 Red Cross volunteers are doing right now in West Africa.
They are going door-to-door to help their communities survive an Ebola outbreak that has claimed over 1400 lives and infected more than 2600 people in four countries.
The number of deaths is growing by the day and each death is entirely preventable.
Red Cross is educating millions of people to prevent further infections.
Volunteers are helping their neighbours to bury their loved ones safely.
Emergency hospitals are being set up in towns where clinics are overflowing with people sick from Ebola.
This is fast becoming more than a major health emergency.
Due to the health crisis, many communities are having difficulty accessing essential services, such as food and water.
We can all lend a hand to control this terrible virus.
I ask all Australians to please consider donating to the Ebola Outbreak 2014 Appeal at redcross.org.au.
Peter Walton
Head of International Program
Australian Red Cross
Renewable targets
Australia's Renewable Energy Target (RET) has been successful over the last decade in bringing down the cost of renewable energy such as solar and wind power, as well as employing 21,000 people across the country.
Millions of homes and thousands of farms and other businesses have saved on their power bills by installing solar panels or solar hot water.
Thousands more farmers have drought-proofed their properties by earning money from hosting wind turbines. But all these benefits are now under threat.
The RET is being reviewed by the Federal Government, and recently it was reported that Prime Minister Tony Abbott wants to close down the policy - even though the Coalition said before and after the election that it supported the scheme.
All major parties have backed the policy for more than a decade after it was introduced by John Howard in 2001.
Plenty of evidence shows that closing down the RET will not save you on your power bills.
What it would do is cause the renewable energy industry to grind to a halt and lead to the loss of thousands of jobs in regional areas.
We will also need to produce more of our electricity using fossil fuels such as coal seam gas, which will actually increase bills.
If we leave the RET alone, we will get a further $15 billion of large-scale renewable energy investment, billions more in household technologies such as solar and thousands of local jobs.
It's hardly any wonder that Australians want to see more renewable energy.
A recent Newspoll found that 88 per cent of those surveyed were in favour of governments supporting the development of more renewable energy from the sun, wind and waves.
If we close down the RET, the only winners would be the owners of a handful of old coal power plants that should have been retired decades ago.
Australia deserves better.
Kane Thornton
Acting Chief Executive, Clean Energy Council