So what have the residents of the Eurobodalla Shire got to look forward to now?

Well, for some, it’s HuntFest 2015 on the long weekend in June.

But did you know there will be guns for sale at this year's “festival of hunting”?

Yes, our local council has done it again!

Not only did they not consult with the community before leasing the publicly owned Sports and Leisure centre on Crown Land to the privately run South Coast Hunters Club for five years, they have now ignored the local residents again and granted permission for a firearms licence at this year's event.

With 80 per cent of local residents voting against this in a recent belated request for community submissions, the majority of councillors (yes, those who say they represent you, the ratepayers of the shire) have given equal representation to supporters of this proposal from outside the shire.

How can this happen?

When do I get an equal say in what is happening in another shire?

This is unbelievable!

Given the recent tragic events in Sydney and overseas involving guns I appeal to those residents who care for our natural environment, pristine coastline, laid-back lifestyle and more importantly our children to answer the following questions.

Do you want a “festival of hunting” in Narooma?

Do you want guns to be sold at this year's event?

Do you want to promote a gun culture within our community and our country?

If your answer to these questions is no, then join me in lobbying our councillors, state and federal politicians to reverse these decisions before June 2015.

Heather Irwin

Narooma

Police have searched William "Bill" Spedding’s property in search of three-year-old William Tyrell.

At this stage the man is assisting police and the police have exercised their power and obtained a search warrant for his rental home and pawn broker shop.

The police are following up every lead in the search for this missing child, which is commendable.

Bill has been assisting police in this investigation, and has not been charged with any offence.

At this point in time he is innocent until proven guilty and should be shown some measure of respect until proven otherwise.

I would be among the first to condemn a person for interfering with any child, but is Bill guilty?

Someone has taken his Facebook photo and advertised it in the Australian media, if not worldwide.

Is this fair or just?

Can he ever hope to remove this shame of association?

If he is innocent I hope he sues these people to the end of the earth for smearing him.

If he is guilty then post his photo.

John Thomas

Bega

Cr Britten contends that Development Application 2008.0085 cannot be the subject of a code of conduct complaint because it “was determined and approved under the requirements of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 in 2008” (BDN, 20/1).

While Cr Britten’s claim may well be true, the Bega Valley Shire Residents and Ratepayers Association (BVSRRA) believes the matter warrants closer scrutiny.

The BVSRRA believes it is important to point out the fact that the original development application did not impact on the access road to the Wheatley family property, “Wattle Farm”.

Accordingly, as acknowledged in the council’s own records, the issue of that access road was not considered by the council when assessing the application that was approved in 2008.

The BVSRRA believes it is even more important to highlight the fact the council approved an amendment to the original development consent in 2013, which the BVSRRA believes did directly impact the Wheatley access road.

As Cr Britten would be aware, the council is obliged to observe many requirements in attending to its business.

In the case of development applications, these requirements are not limited to the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, but also include the Bega Valley Development Control Plan 2013 and Council’s Code of Conduct.

Mr Wheatley claims he was not advised of the amendment to the original development consent approved by the council in 2013 and was therefore denied the right to object to that change.

The BVSRRA also believes the impact of the amendment on the access road was not considered by the council prior to it being approved.

The BVSRRA believes that the above actions were manifestly unfair to the Wheatley family and they are what prompted the BVSRRA’s decision to pursue a code of conduct complaint in respect of the council’s behaviour, along with 22 other residents/ratepayers.

As to Cr Britten’s comments on the Cr Allen code of conduct complaint, the BVSRRA believes that, just like the Wheatley matter, the critical issue for residents/ratepayers is rarely what the council has said, but rather how it says it and more often what it doesn’t say.

The BVSRRA stands by its code of conduct complaints, both in the Wheatley matter and the Cr Allen matter, and looks forward to the response of the Minister for Local Government in respect to the management of both matters.

John Richardson

BVSRRA secretary