The death penalty is barbaric and the evidence shows it is not even an effective deterrent, merely a means of retaliation and revenge.

Yet we risk losing sight of the bigger picture.

Australia's three major trading partners also have the death penalty (the USA, China and Japan).

In addition to Indonesia (Bali), our other popular holiday destinations, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia all have the death penalty.

And let's not talk about Saudi Arabia - the US’s largest customer for arms and military equipment - which has capital punishment by decapitation.

There is complete silence from our government leaders on the several thousand other people on death row in all these other countries - countries that we supposedly have close relationships with.

It would be easy to conclude that trade and politics seem to be more important than the slaughter of people.

Warwick Adams

Chairman, The Sapphire Foundation, Bega Valley

On Monday, I could hear a dog barking in my neighbourhood that I didn't recognise, but didn't investigate.

Later, on going out, I saw a small black and white dog with no owner - again unusual, but thought it may belong to new neighbours.

It looked a little lost and I'm so sorry that I didn't stop to check the dog tags as I usually would, but was in a hurry.

Please remind your readers to slow down and take time to pay attention, trust your intuition if things don't seem right.

You may be able to help someone in need.

I'm so sorry that I didn't.

I live near the intersection of Kerrisons Lane and Tathra Rd.

Name withheld by request

I’m feeling compelled to write following the death of a beautiful young mother last week.

I had an accident one day shy of two weeks ago to the day on that same road, not more than 500 metres from where Ms Britton took her last breath.

I was driving from Kalaru to Bega, doing the 100kmh speed limit, taking my two children to their first day of school for the year - my five-year-old’s first day of Kindergarten.

I came over a crest at 100kmh and slammed into the back of a young P-plater driving to school for the first time - herself having been forced to stop due to someone at the front of the line-up of cars thinking it was time for the cows to cross.

At this point I say the cows weren’t in any way ready to cross, the farmer being nowhere in sight for the cows or their signs to be unleashed.

I wish to thank the kind people that stopped to assist us, offering comfort to my daughter who was terribly distressed.

It was an accident that I couldn’t have avoided doing 100kmh, but an accident that wouldn’t have been as severe as it was at 80kmh.

Her car was a write-off and mine is in the process of being repaired - if not for my high level of insurance, it would definitely have been a write-off too.

I know it could have been much, much worse and I’m grateful it wasn’t.

Ms Britton or her family aren’t as lucky.

In light of our community’s most recent tragedy, I think it is time for the road limit to be reduced to 80kmh.

Michelle Taylor

Kalaru