Recently I had the honour and privilege of visiting the Community Pantry in Bega.

What an outstanding group of volunteers. All happy, with something sadly missing in today’s society, people skills. They make all their clients feel like they are getting a hand up not a hand out.

They are filling a vital void for those less fortunate that neither government at any level or council do.

When you are down on luck and life is treating you badly its organisations like this that allow you to keep your dignity and respect which in troubled times is often all you have.

What concerns me greatly is that it appears their rent is rather high which takes away from the amount of food they are able to supply.

I would ask both council and the state government to subsidise the rents of all small vital organisations like this to allow them to put more food into the mouths of those who badly need it especially the children and the elderly.

I would ask all councillors and members of the state government what would you do if members of your family needed this vital service. All of you talk a lot about helping those less fortunate.

What about walking the talk and actually doing something about it?

Thank you so much to the volunteers at the Community Pantry believe me you make the world a much better place.

We are writing as some of those who are meeting peacefully at Corunna Forest, to bring to attention our concern about the logging of its trees. Anyone that drives past the forest would be deeply disturbed by what they see.

We are anxious for those living in Mystery Bay, with summer ahead of us, and the potential of fires. The logged areas have remaining forest waste which a Forestry representative indicates will not be removed till next winter.

Scientific research shows that opening the canopy increases the intensity of the fires and feeds into a crown fire. Once a native forest is disturbed it does not get its fire retardant ability back for at least 100 years. 

We write this as a mother and father, representing all parents who love their children and long to give them and their children a future – a future with fresh air and fresh water, the very basics of our daily functioning.

We understand that various industries require logs, and plantations can provide those needs. We do not need to harvest native forests.

We write this as counsellors, interested in the wellbeing of our communities. Without the trees our wellbeing is in jeopardy. Certainly for our grandchildren to come.

At a fundamental level, our wellbeing relates to our breath. Without breath we do not exist. The trees are the lungs of our planet, and hold within them complex ecosystems that we depend on. Each of us is in relationship with trees in the oxygen-carbon dioxide cycle between us.

Climate change is not a political issue. It is now about survival and the inheritance we wish to pass on to our children.

Corunna forest has had two compartments logged. The machines have already moved over to the shores of Corunna lake. What can we do?

We can call our MPs Andrew Constance (6492 2056) and Paul Toole (NSW Minister for Lands and Forestry - 8574 7000) and express our concerns. We must hold hope that it is never too late! Let us take action, let us pursue the wellbeing of ourselves, our family, our community and for the inheritance we want to leave for our children and their children.

Take action now. Let your voice be heard: make a call, write a letter.