Australia is a country of drought and flooding rains no matter where you live. This year from Cape York to Tasmania fires are burning.

I am always planting trees and plants as these provide the clean air we breathe here on the South Coast. What I feel so sad about is the developers who clear every bit of ground cover (for example what's happening half way up Lot Stafford Drive Kalaru at the moment), when preparing land to sell.

The roadsides in this area, in a good year, are covered with native orchids and other wildflowers and it seems the grading of these areas are overkill, an unnecessary evil. There are still people in Australia who want to live among the wild flowers.

Does the Bega Valley Shire Council sanction this action or are the developers at fault? Was the EPA contacted before clearing began?

If you are worried about fires do not buy in a fire prone area. Plants provide the air we breathe and are known to encourage rainfall. Over-clearing affects us all.

Regarding the fines for turning into the Bega car park, Mr James will find that this is quite common as local councils will change traffic flow or make no right turn signs invisible (hard to see) due to the fact that they can not place them so as they can be seen and they will possibly cause an accident.

The police are doing their job by enforcing the local traffic rules in the area as all road closures or amendments to direction of traffic go by the local traffic management committee, of which the police are part. Thus they are made aware of the new road conditions and have to enforce the new rules.

Police may not agree with the change that has been made but they are carrying out their duty. In my case the No Right Turn sign was on the corner of the street that you had to turn right into and the sign was not easily visible. Thanks to an understanding police officer who pulled up behind me, turned his lights on, beeped his horn - what did I do?

He then showed and told me of the changes. I was not booked. When asked when this happened he stated in the last five days and they were giving locals two weeks' grace before they booked anyone.

The only notification that people saw were signs in the local shop advising of the change. Later they put plastic filled water bollards across the intersection so you could not turn right.

During Dementia Action Week, September 16-22, Dementia Australia is challenging all Australians to think differently about dementia by asking 'Dementia doesn't discriminate. Do you?'

We are calling on our communities to consider how discrimination impacts people of all ages, living with all forms of dementia and their families and carers.

While the number of Australians living with dementia is close to half a million, there are an estimated 1.5 million involved in the care of people living with the disease. In the Federal electorates of Eden-Monaro, Hume and Parkes there are an estimated 9,312 people living with dementia this year, which is expected to increase to 19,005 by 2058.

Nobody chooses to have dementia. We can however choose how we respond to the people in our lives and in our community who are living with dementia.

We are asking readers to complete a short survey to help us to create an informed, national picture to better understand how discrimination for people living with dementia occurs, and what it would take to shift that discrimination. More information can be found at www.dementia.org.au/dementia-action-week.