The name was brilliant – topographically accurate; catchy with high impact; and with connotation of art at the leading edge of creativity.

Some heads need to be straightened, at least for the sake of Jan Ireland’s vision, dedication and achievement.

I would like to give a big thank you to the unknown gentleman who found my purse on November 23 at North Bega and immediately handed it into the Bega Police Station.

To my delight when I arrived 35 minutes later to let them know I’d lost it, they had already tried to contact me twice.

I am just so grateful and the relief is unmeasurable. God bless you and thanks very much.

The junior pirates of Tathra and Mogareeka, and their friends would like to thank our pirate chief for organising a replacement for our wrecked ship.

While awaiting the arrival and launching of our new ship we will use our time industriously, searching for buried treasure to replenish the shortage in council's treasure chest.

We are pleased to see a new table is going in near where our pirate ship was moored. We always used that table for drawing up treasure maps and practising our 'yo ho, me hearties' greeting. And counting our pillaged treasure.

While some in our community might be taken-in by the claims being made by Bega Valley Shire Council (BVSC) to justify the expansion of Merimbula Airport, the simple fact is that council applied for state government funding to underwrite the project on the basis that the expanded airport, coupled with a deregulated air route between Sydney and Merimbula, would generate nearly 600,000 tourist movements annually – 12 times the current annual passenger traffic volume.

While council can rabbit on about white ants, passenger comfort, improved security or engage in esoteric arguments about the weight of planes or the number of passengers on them, the reality is that there is only one important issue that hasn’t been addressed – what does our community want?

For its part, the Bega Valley Shire Residents and Ratepayers Association (BVSRRA) has no doubt that some members of our community would be delighted if we could enjoy cheaper air fares and more flexible timetables –  who wouldn’t?

Others might be horrified by the prospect that the number of daily flights in and out of the airport could increase by a factor of five or six in order for that to happen.

Some in our community would doubtless be happy to see the South Coast transformed into a tourist mecca, while others might place greater importance on conserving the quality of life that the majority seem to believe is the most important thing.

The real issue as far as the BVSRRA is concerned is that the state and federal governments, as well as council, have committed to a major project which could have significant negative environmental, social and financial consequences for the people of the shire, in particular those people living in Merimbula and Pambula, not only without bothering to make them aware of the potential consequences, but without even making the effort to quantify them.

Only time will tell whether the new council or the Member for Bega will seek to listen to the voice of our community?