ON April 1 you kindly published my letter criticising the demand for a firebreak at Potato Point.
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Last week’s response to my letter from the pseudonymous ‘Gary Green’ is typical of the flatulent bluster coming from the so-called community association.
He claims that my letter was ‘riddled with inaccuracies’, but then is unable to point out even one.
This doesn’t surprise me, as I have had several lengthy (and, I would stress, cordial) conversations with the leading lights of the association and none of them is able to provide any coherent response to the points that concern many in the Potato Point community about the firebreak demand.
‘Gary Green’ claims to be concerned about accuracy, but then goes on to tell your readers that the community association’s committee members were “all elected democratically”.
However, he knows that at least four of them were not elected at all, including the president. More importantly, many in Potato Point see the committee as quite unrepresentative. It’s nice to know that ‘Gary Green’ is devoted to democracy but unfortunately the brand of democracy he favours is completely inappropriate to small rural villages, where we must all live together and get along harmoniously.
It is sad that in Potato Point at the moment we are seeing a group running a scare campaign, ignoring authoritative scientific information, ignoring alternative points of view and ramming ill-considered resolutions through meetings without discussion.
Instead of this, we need an inclusive, consensus approach where options are considered in a calmer atmosphere.
These then need to be addressed in the right forums.
Fire protection at Potato Point, along with fire management issues everywhere else in the Eurobodalla, should be considered within the Eurobodalla Fire Management Committee and not be the subject of divisive local politics.
Bill Barker
Potato Point