We would like to thank all the volunteers for their work in making sandwiches, soup, cakes, slices and scones and the donation of produce in making the soups. Also to the stall and market tables for their wares on the day.

We would also like to thank the following businesses for their support in the form of donations:

Bega Cheese, Plevey’s Pharmacy, Coles Bega, Repco, Barbeques Galore, Southern Farms, Bega Agriculture, Candelo Stockfeeds, NuPulse Cobargo, Furniture One, Coast Hire for their chairs, Priceline Chemist, Riverside Nursery, Betta Home Living, Southern Service Centre, Strandbags, Riverview Nursery, Paul Ubrihien, Jill Langham, Bobby Shipton for the music, the ladies with their craft and all the volunteers.

Without your assistance we would not have had such a successful day. This year’s Biggest Morning Tea raised $2030, so thank you everyone for your support and we look forward to a great day next year.

The load of wood raffle was won by Dean Smith with ticket number blue F24.

A huge thank you from Lenna Pearce and the volunteers of the Brogo and Bega communities.

Opposition defence spokesperson Richard Marles suggests that Australia ought to send more troops to Afghanistan because "we can't afford to see Afghanistan lost".  This begs the question: "Was it ever ours to lose?"

A couple of weeks ago, Mayor Kristy McBain unleashed council’s annual “we’ll all be rooned” pre-budget offensive through the local media, citing a list of financial mountains that council simply couldn’t climb.

Talking about forecast income, the management report dealing with the draft budget in the agenda for the recent council meeting referred to the 1.5% rate increase, which will generate an additional $330K in income. On the expenditure side, council makes mention of major increases in insurance costs amounting to $250K, an increase of $15K in annual audit costs, an increase in $188K in fire services levies and an increase in award wages of 2.5%.

So, what should we make of all this recent gnashing of council’s teeth?

We could wonder how council is financially damaged by the emergency services levy when government land is exempt from such taxes and council’s role from July 1 is simply to collect the revenue on behalf of the state government.

We could wonder why council thinks it’s important to mention specific dollar amounts when referring to cost increases like audit costs ($15K), insurance ($250K) and the mysterious increase in the “fire services levy” ($188K), but when it comes to wages, we are told there will simply be an increase of 2.5% (no mention of the fact this increase will likely amount to $800K).

So, given the above, it would seem that the real “existential threat” to council’s finances would appear to be in its continuing massive increases in employee costs.

And if council’s finances are in such dire straits, how is it that we could recently afford to hand a gift of $150K to the Pambula-Merimbula Golf Club and be seriously considering a $95K gift to Sapphire Coast Tourism, free of conditions?

It the lights are really in danger of going out in Zingel Place, how could council afford to splurge more than 50% of its operating expenses this year on employee costs (more than $30M annually)?

Or are we simply being treated to the usual empty management fluff as an excuse for the ongoing failure of council to deliver efficient basic services for the communities of the Bega Valley Shire?