I refer to the Eurobodalla's new Heritage Advisory Committee, which wisely recommended that two of Bateman's Bay's oldest historic buildings, formerly known as Ned Kelly's Bargain Store,  located at 5-7 Clyde Street, be "listed" by the council, to recognise their historical importance now and into the future.

Eurobodalla communities should be encouraged by that The Clyde River and Bateman's Bay Historical Society will now be directly involved and work with Steve Halicki, the council's Strategy and Heritage Planner and members of the heritage committee to ensure that these buildings will not be demolished.

A special thank you to to Jenny Butt for focusing the spotlight on these important buildings that could soon become a major tourist attraction if refurbished as an historic display centre.

Jenny and significantly wise others have saved the historical Francis Guy residence and store built in the 1860s for future generations. Thank you.

On Friday night, CLARA'S DREAM floated by an estimated 8,000 people on the banks of the Moruya River, along with other lanterns.

I have had the pleasure of working with the makers, ARTZILLA, Workability's art crew, for the past three months every Wednesday and on many weekends.

I have worked in the arts all my life and this project has been one of the greatest highlights for a couple of very special reasons.

For one, the community spirit, that joy of working together with so many people who were just faces on the street before. Now we know each other so much better.

I wish the rest of the world could be like this.

A big thank you to Bruce Reid, from Bay Removals, who gave over his huge shed as a workshop. He may not have known what he was in for, but his generosity made many people’s dreams come alive.

To Danielle and Doug Williams, who put this together and stayed calm and dedicated to the very end, we say thank you so much. I know all those schools who worked with Robbie and Darryl Cruse on the Rainbow Serpent are also saying their big thanks.

These people are all volunteers. This is grass-roots, creative arts at its very best, with people from all walks of life getting together to create something beautiful to share with the wider community.

This is why I choose to live on the South Coast. Forget the hiccups - remember the joy on the faces of the creators and remember that amazing glow of creativity that flowed down the river.

It was stunning. 

To amalgamate or not is the flavour of the month in local political circles, but really is a non-issue.

No quantified information has been supplied supporting the notion of amalgamation by either the State Government or its local proponents.

If, for residents, there are any savings or other tangible benefits worth more than their local identities, let’s see them published.  

The Government is offering to pay amalgamating councils some of the costs of amalgamation, to give additional grants for new infrastructure (not their ongoing costs of maintenance and depreciation), to make borrowing more from Tcorp easier and to have simplified Special Rate Variation applications.

These offers are being made to councils who are mostly deemed to be unfit for the future. How could they responsibly afford to enter into such commitments?

“Don’t you worry about that!” said Joh!

The NSW Government, from its Fit for the Future process, said Eurobodalla, Bega Valley and Shoalhaven shires were individually fit for the future, that there was no benefit seen for these councils to amalgamate, and that they should be left to stand alone. That should be end of story!

Palerang and Queanbeyan to our west have both been deemed to be “unfit” by the NSW Government and the tribunal recommended that these two councils should amalgamate with each other.

Again, that should be the end of the story for us.

Some groups and individuals, perhaps with hidden agendas, have raised various prospects of Eurobodalla amalgamating with Palerang and/or Queanbeyan without any evidence to show that any of the three councils would be better off.

While we might well sympathise with their residents facing unwanted amalgamation, their unfit predicament is not and need not become our concern. 

I would like to highlight to your readers that 993 people have drowned in a river, creek or stream in the past 13 years.

This makes rivers the leading location for drowning in Australia. Most alarming is that almost three quarters of people who drowned in rivers, were close to their home and a majority were male.

So why are so many drowning in our local rivers? The still surface of a river gives a false sense of security. You can’t see ice cold water, snags like tree branches or strong currents.

Justin Scarr

Royal Life Saving Society