Way of the cross
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Your correspondent Maree Selby (BDN March 27) takes offence at the Gorillas on the Cross sculpture at the recent Sculpture on the Edge exhibition in Bermagui.
She complains that the cross is “the symbol of Christianity” and therefore by implication that it should not be used for anything else. Now that is intolerance if you like.
The cross, in reality, is a form of execution similar to the gallows or the electric chair.
A similar type of structure to a cross is used to carry dead gorillas from the jungle after they have been killed by poachers.
The artist is clearly making a statement about the appalling slaughter of these defenceless animals against rifle power.
I for one say all strength to his elbow and I believe Jesus would have thought the same.
Eddie Davenport
Bermagui
Need to be shocked
In reply to Maree Selby (BDN March 27) regarding her interpretation of the Gorilla on the Cross sculpture.
Maree, while respecting your beliefs and viewpoints on this matter, I would ask you and other readers to consider mine.
Yes, the cross is a symbol of Christianity, however the term “to crucify” does not exclusively pertain to Christ’s death.
It is my understanding that it can also be used to denote extreme cruelty and injustice.
The sculpture in question is indeed shocking, in that it so graphically depicts the “un-christian” and deplorable actions by man to God’s creatures often deemed to be inferior, therefore of lesser importance than the human race.
Sometimes human beings, whether Christian or otherwise, need to be shocked into awareness of what we are doing to this planet, eg the destruction of animal habitats for commercial gain.
Consequently, we are harming and causing death to the creatures who share our world, be they gorillas, koalas or butterflies.
I don’t believe the use of the cross in this brilliant work of art denigrates the true meaning of Christianity as opposed to any particular religion.
To quote a much loved hymn:
“All creatures great and small… The Lord God made them all.”
Randall Sinnamon, I salute you.
Jeanette Reid
Cobargo
Portrait
confirmed
With regard to the person whose portrait was left at the Bega Regional gallery and for the benefit of those recent arrivals to the district over the last 40 years or so, it is indeed Mr Norman Fraser Bignell.
Norman Bignell was the government officer allocated to represent the Department of Labour and Industry and National service in regional area 3B during the Second World War.
A career public servant and Gallipoli veteran of World War 1 Norman Fraser Bignell was a native of our apple isle of Tasmania.
Assuming the important role of manpower officer he operated from offices located in the Department of Main Roads building on the corner of Upper and Auckland Streets in Bega, assisted by locals Robert C. Douglas and the Misses Joyce Brown and Rosemary Riley with office duties, while Percy Underhill, a fellow Gallipoli veteran was an efficient and capable field officer.
As Manpower officer, Normal Bignell controlled all employment, liaising also with military headquarters situated in the drill hall in Gipps Street Bega with recruitment for the Armed Forces.
With Australia now under threat of invasion by the Japanese emergency contingencies were immediately implemented, putting Australia on a war footing.
Workers had to stay put, all young men aged nineteen were called up for military service and told to report to the area office in Bega complete with toilet requisites and a cut lunch.
They were then rushed off to camp for a hasty military training. Blackouts of towns and homes were put into effect, identification cards issued to civilians and rationing introduced on food, clothing, petrol, tobacco and cigarettes.
Conscription was introduced, and as the youth of the district turned eighteen, they were called up by the Manpower Officer for military service.
Report to the Area Medical officer, then report to the area officer at the drill hall to receive movement orders and travelling documents to general details depot at Sydney showground.
More medicals, given a number, kitted with uniform and red boots, bedded down on a straw palliasse in the pig pens, then introduced to foot-slogging whilst awaiting a troop train for conveyance to a recruit training battalion, where boys were turned into men, in just six weeks.
Normal Fraser Bignell made many friends in Bega, he loved the area and stayed on here after retirement for many years living in a flat above the small grocery shop and butchery of the corner of Canning and Carp Streets in Bega.
He served his country and fellow citizens of the Bega Valley in an exemplary manner.
Kevin Umback
Tura Beach
Protect the farmers
Why is the NSW government, via RLPB/LHPA, encouraging over grazing of drought affected land, by charging unrealistic stocking capacity taxes?
All governments feign concern for climate changing conditions, but only NSW has this particularly gratuitous tax - hardly an environmentally
responsible model.
Farmers should be supported and encouraged to do the sustainable thing by the land, by being given incentives for restoring soil nutritive balance, not penalised for owning land.
The costs of providing sustainable food should be shared by everyone who eats - farmers certainly are not seeing a realistic or reasonable return for their efforts at the grocery counter.
Other countries protect their farmers, why don’t we?
If more taxes are required, put them on refined, nutritionally bankrupt
foods, not nutrient rich food produced by farmers.
Watch the health of our nation blossom.
Michaela Samman
Tantawangalo
Nasty personal attack
Peter Rutherford of Merimbula (BDN March 31) has made a nasty personal attack on Prue Acton for her comments drawing attention to the disastrous impacts of the proposed wood fired power station at the Eden chipmill.
This would burn the leftovers of a million tonnes of native forest woodchipping a year and generate not just greenhouse gases, but highly toxic and smelly gaseous and particulate emissions which locals will be forced to breathe every time the wind blows from the south.
Instead of ugly personal attacks on conservationists who are making genuine efforts to promote the interests of the public and the planet, Mr Rutherford would do well to explain why nearby residents should be pleased about the prospect of breathing in dioxins, lead, mercury, arsenates (among other things) not to mention sulphur dioxide, the rotten egg gas.
Readers should know that it is Mr Rutherford’s job to portray the woodchipping industry in a good light.
He is Forestry Manager of South East Fibre Exports, owners of the chipmill.
He is not a private citizen when it comes to promoting the interests of the woodchipping industry.
None of the conservationists in this region who dedicate themselves to campaigning against his rapacious industry is paid for their efforts.
Harriett Swift
Bega
Tourism
development levy
Sapphire Coast Tourism needs the community’s support for a levy to be imposed on all rate payers to generate an additional $250,000 to help fund their existence and promotional campaigns.
Council has proposed to impose this levy on commercially zoned properties only, which may be thought to be reasonable on the face of it, except that it is targeting only 4.5 per cent of the shire’s rate payers.
That group is currently paying 9.5 per cent of the overall shire rates, which is roughly double your average rates anyway.
The real inequity with this proposal is that by only targeting the commercially zoned rate payers, no motels, caravan parks, serviced apartments, holiday units, bed & breakfasts, holiday homes, home business operators, tradesmen or tourism attraction operators have to contribute as they are not within the commercial zones.
Everyone benefits from tourism in our shire. Tourism generates employment and economic growth and development for the whole region.
Without attracting people to come here to experience our beautiful region the area would not be anywhere near as populated as you see it today. Property values would be a fraction of what they are.
Tourism along with agriculture is the main economic driver in our shire. Sapphire Coast Tourism is a shire-wide body of independent volunteers from various fields and expertise working to promote this region to all markets by promoting the shire as a whole from the top to the bottom.
Not Merimbula exclusively or Eden or Bermagui, but the whole shire as one magnificent region to experience.
For many years tourism locally has been factionalised because it has been promoted by a whole series of groups promoting their own specific agendas.
Sapphire Coast Tourism is the only genuine shire-wide promotional body working for everyone’s benefit and everyone should contribute to it somewhat as its beneficiaries.
To generate $250,000 from the 338 commercial rate payers will cost them approximately $300 dollars extra per year each.
If the council sees sense in applying the levy across the board to include all rate payers, businesses and tourism beneficiaries it will only cost about 25 cents per week or $13 per year to all rate payers.
This would be a much fairer and equitable way of supporting our local economy.
During the toughest economic downturn, shopkeepers are already being slugged heavily and are on the edge of viability. Council needs to show some sensitivity to the difficulties faced by shopkeepers in a time when things are very tight.
Commercial rates have already gone up significantly during the last few years and yes, they may be lower than Eurobodalla and Great Lakes shires but our region has one of the lowest average incomes in NSW.
All shopkeepers are being double dipped anyway as they not only pay commercial rates but when they get home they find their residential rates notices also.
The first place all the sporting, school or community groups go for sponsorship or support is the local shopkeepers who are as obliging as they possibly can be.
This tourism/economic development promotions levy is more important to the viability of our communities than levying money from everyone for sporting field improvements.
Council is proposing 50 cents per week, or $26 per year, off all rate payers to generate $500,000 dollars for sporting field upgrades.
Why not split it in half and give $250,000 each to SCT - for tourism promotions- and to the sporting field/community facility upgrades.
Fraser Buchanan
Pambula
Open letter to the PM
Dear Mr Rudd,
This country’s response to the threat of climate change is, to date, grossly inadequate.
Your government’s response can barely be differentiated from the previous conservative government’s response.
Three significant contributors to global warming which can be corrected with leadership and determination include coal, cars and clearing of native forests. Any plan must also include the replacement of fossil fuels with solar, wind and geothermal within 10 years.
We must phase out the use and export of coal over the next 10 years. Carbon capture is a lie. Retrofitting old coal power stations and trucking, piping and storing waste gas from coal we have sold globally is plainly not feasible. Coal’s proportion of GDP is overstated as is the number of people employed in this industry. This exaggeration by the carbon lobby with its significant foreign ownership would be easily compensated by creation of a green workforce. The only real solution is a combination of solar, wind and geothermal energy.
The opportunity for our dirtiest polluters, such as the coal industry, to offset its carbon in the atmosphere with cheap carbon credits does not meet our responsibilities as a global citizen because it allows these industries to continue polluting.
The countries where the credits are sold also allow illegal logging so there is no guarantee the forests will be saved.
Australia desperately needs a plan to change over to electric cars which are plugged into clean energy. Let us provide incentives to the motor industry to make zero carbon vehicles in Australia not a hybrid which is just an excuse to go on using petrol for a bit longer.
Forest workers need to be employed establishing forests rather than destroying them. Let us capture some carbon instead of feeding it into paper mills.
Our response to the global financial crisis should also be addressing our response to climate change. It is incomprehensible that any ‘stimulus package’ is not totally devoted to restructuring our economy to support the clean energy solutions as these are the industries of the future.
A solar panel makes much more sense than a plasma TV. Industry recognises this and an example is the decision by several aluminium manufacturers to establish their new smelters beside reliable sources of renewable energy.
When will your government put these plans into action? Every delay makes the financial cost of change greater and the environmental costs more severe.
Every scientific report about the environment is more alarming and indicates faster deterioration than previously predicted.
Our children will be living in a world of our making but you have the statesmanship to separate this issue from the politics and lead our country and the world towards a safer future.
Yours sincerely,
A J Turnbull
Bega