I’m not stating the obvious, the Otium report is! 

“The cost of implementing the strategy would most likely be beyond existing resources of council.”

Maybe a wave pool would be better as where do we go when the beach is closed?

I know. Sell the old hospital to Packer and he can create a River of Gold casino. There is a helipad for all the rich Chinese pilots to fly into. The casino can have a pool and all the RSL memorabilia that has been removed from public view since the Woolies takeover can be in the foyer.

And the clock tower can be there to time our laps.

The hockey fields can be turned into water frontage channels for the millionaire mansions and boats.

This would obviously end “the shire’s low socioeconomic level that has a high degree of price sensitivity” (end quote).

Further on in the same paper, Bega’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry looks to expand and create a committee to create a more vibrant town.

In a future world where sustainability and invest locally are the directions, the council should apply to the community for approval.

Did they miss something?

I would like to say a big thank you to Ann, Vicky and the couple who helped me on Wednesday, August 10, when I had a hard fall outside Dan Murphy’s.

These kind people interrupted their day to stay with me and make sure I was OK until the Ambulance arrived.

I was lucky to only suffer a sore shoulder and a few bruises and am recovering at home. Thank you all again.

After two months overseas – mainly in Germany where I experienced torrential rain and two days later 38°C, which produced floods and enormous amounts of mosquitoes, plus the unbelievable air pollution in Beijing during stopover – I really wonder when mankind will finally start looking after this planet?

To my astonishment all motorised bicycles and motorcycles in Beijing were electric and silent!

Still all cars, taxis, trucks and buses stank, roared and caused the grey smog all over the city.

In Germany it was stunning to see so many roofs blue, completely covered with solar cells, or gardens, and the quiet turning of huge wind turbines.

Although Germany has not handed out free plastic bags in shops for the last 40 years, and even has different recycling collection boxes for all packaging at every supermarket and a fantastic cash for container system, they still use a lot of plastic containers, especially for takeaway food and storage.  They even hand out to every household rolls of large free yellow plastic bags for the collection every two weeks. If they just could see the horror it causes for our birds and sea-creatures.

At water fountains at Beijing airport, people could choose the temperature and refill their glass thermos bottles with 99C hot water for their green tea leaves.

Public transport was well organised in Germany and in China. The trains came frequently, on time and were fast, platforms protected with glass walls.

Bicycle riding was a delight – wide enough cycle paths, quite often between houses, away from the roads or through parks and along rivers or pedestrian malls with special parking areas for bikes everywhere and right of way at big intersections for cyclists!

I also appreciated not having to wear a helmet in the hot weather. Cyclists are treated equal to other traffic and courtesy is often given to cyclists.