Fighting on our terms
Surely Australia should have its own large helicopters and large planes for firefighting. Instead we lease them each fire season from overseas. Pathetic! With climate change and droughts, the fire season could last all year.
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Thanks to the wonderful firies who have worked so hard day and night over several weeks to keep us safe.
Marie Wickenton, Brogo
Speed trap
Just a note to anyone else out there driving around the ACT who is unaware that the 40kmh school speed zones in ACT are from 8am to 4pm. There are no flashing lights or signs to warn of speed cameras in the area, just an infringement notice in mail with no hope of review due to ignorance of that law. Why would every state have different laws? Entrapment for interstate drivers?
Sheila Schilling, Bega
Festival to remember
Those of us lucky enough to attend the inaugural Giiyong Festival will remember the day in years to come when hopefully it is one of the events of the South Coast calendar.
I’d like to congratulate all concerned, the organisers, the performers, everyone. A special mention to the MC, Sean Choolburra.
When all of us keen festival goers are no longer around, I envisage that the festival of the future will achieve truly great things…an annual festival where strong and important messages reach their target, where people arrive not only by car and bus but by boat across the picturesque waters.
It is a magnificent venue and the idea of such a gathering has so much potential. Thank you for a memorable day!
Geoffrey Maher, Merimbula
Tremendous celebration
On behalf of the community, I would like to say a big thank you to South East Arts, the Eden Land Council and the countless volunteers who put so much hard work into creating Giiyong Festival held at Jigamy Farm on the weekend.
Giiyong was the first Aboriginal cultural festival to be held anywhere on Yuin Country, which stretches from the Shoalhaven River to the Victorian border and across to the Great Dividing Range. It celebrated the Indigenous culture of the Dhurga and Djiringani peoples of the Yuin Nation.
Not only was the festival a tremendous celebration of Aboriginal culture, food, music and storytelling - it is an event that I see as an icon on our path to reconciliation.
I was honoured to attend and was very pleased to see the community embracing our local indigenous culture.
After such a successful event this year, I am looking forward to attending again next year and watching the Giiyong Festival go from strength to strength.
Mike Kelly, Member for Eden-Monaro
Fake arguments
It appears Harriett Swift is so desperate to attack anyone associated with the native forest industry, she has to make up fake comments, so she can then criticise the author of a letter she doesn't like.
Ms Swift's letter (BDN, 4/9) omitted the fact she is a long time campaigner against the harvesting of native forests. Therefore, she should declare that when it suits, she is more than happy to buy timber sawn from those very trees she campaigns to protect.
One might also think that she had binn around long enough to be able to accurately quote me. Nowhere in my letter did I state that logging reduces fire risk. I did note that activists ignore the massive impacts of mega fires on our parks and reserves, as well as the impacts of predation and other feral animals.
Next time Ms Swift writes a letter opposing the harvesting of native forests, she should at least be factual in what she says and declare her interest in using the forest products that come from the trees she does not want to be cut down.
