Having written the 1993 biography "Benjamin Boyd" which sells in Eden at various museums and the Visitors Centre, I eagerly read Dr Dunn's report for the National Parks and Wildlife Service to support renaming Ben Boyd National Park.

The definitive Boyd biography has sat unchallenged for over 50 years in the Australian Dictionary of Biography (ADB). It includes a crucial fact totally missing from Dunn's report, namely:

"There were also rumours that many (South Sea Islanders) had been brought to the colony against their will; these charges were investigated by the attorney-general in Sydney and in December 1847 Sir Charles FitzRoy reported to the Colonial Office that they had been found unsubstantiated."

Why did Dr Dunn not mention this fact in his report. Was this an "Inconvenient Truth".

I believe the ADB report overrides Dr Dunn's work. It was written by Gerald Walsh, who was described by my friend, the late ANU history professor John Maloney as "the Bradman of the ADB" due to his 198 contributions.

In reading the diary of Boyd's artist, Sir Oswald Brierly, in 2015-6 when writing a Brierly biography, I found no provocative attacks on Aboriginals, but rather a strong friendship between Boyd, Brierly and their Aboriginal guide, Budginbro.

May I suggest the park be renamed the "Budginbro-Ben Boyd-National Park" as a symbol of reconciliation based on their friendship. Budginbro added "Brierly" to his children's names due to this friendship. Many leaders of the Aboriginal community proudly carry this name today

I am pleased to see that Bega Valley and Eurobodalla are both included in the 13 priority council areas under the federal government's Preparing Australian Communities program. The determination of these areas was done by the Australian Climate Service and the National Recovery and Resilience Agency on the basis of criteria including: the total number and proportion of houses that could be lost under the worst-case bushfire scenario; and the share of houses in the LGA that are considered to be in a bushfire prone area. This support for disaster preparedness further supports the $300m already committed by the government to bushfire recovery in Eden Monaro.

The bottle and can recycling program is a NSW government initiative. But as is typical of this government, having legislated it, imposed extra costs on consumers to cover the recycling payments, they then privatise it and walk away from the problem. It should not be yet another problem our already stretched council has to deal with. Put it back on to this NSW government and remind them of their responsibilities to we who vote them in and pay their salaries.

Friday, November 19, is International Men's Day with the theme for 2021 being to improve gender relations. It is an opportunity for men to consider how the relationship with women can be improved, as well as an opportunity to reflect on the positive role that men can play in leading by example within the community. It is also a time to celebrate the contribution that the men currently make to society for the good of all.

Supporters of the proposed Merimbula Sewage Treatment Plant upgrade and associated ocean outfall usually raise two issues: cost and wet weather.

Yes, there will be a short term cost. However there are potential long term benefits that would flow from building less outfall and more reuse on land.

Pumping the treated effluent to local farmer's storages, they would pay a market price to BVSC for the water. Farms would effectively be drought proofed. Agricultural investment would be able to proceed with optimism, adding to a diversified local economy. Increased employment would flow. Farmers and employees spend more money in the community. Less effluent would be discharged into the ocean where people harvest shellfish such as oysters and abalone (filter feeders) swim, fish, surf and recreate.

Local community group SWAMP (Sustainable Water Actions Merimbula Pambula) has sourced and provided contact details to council of farmers with storages in place who are willing to take 100 per cent of treated effluent.

'Wet weather' is the cry from ocean outfall proponents. Yes, every system needs an outlet. But, $30million worth of outlet? Surely not if the STP upgrade results in better treated effluent. Where does all the wet weather runoff in the system come from? Not from street drains.

In summary, there are multiple benefits to effluent reuse on land - benefits to society, environment and economy.