I am sorry to inform but they already have. 

Talking with many visitors to the town over the Christmas/Easter holidays, many said how envious they were that we lived in such a beautiful place, but unfortunately all said they would not be back due to the appalling smell, dreadful noise and disgusting excreta of our resident bat colony and why something isn’t being done about it.

 I too wonder if the Eurobodalla Shire Council really is aware how unpleasant living in the Bay has become. I think not; the smell, noise and excreta of the bat colony does not impact on their sweet smelling, quiet, healthy way of life at the Taj Mahal (council chambers) at Moruya. So yes, Eurobodalla Council, why isn’t something being done about it?

We the ones paying the rates should also be protected. We  have rights too. If you keep doing nothing about this awful situation, the ratepayers will be the ones that are extinct, we will have all moved out.

Eurobodalla is a beautiful shire, popular with retirees and holiday makers for its glorious beaches, national parks and state forests. So why did the Eurobodalla Shire Council approve a further five years of HuntFest, a festival of animal killing, especially when a life-affirming event with social as well economic benefits was proposed as an alternative?

The council persists with its contemptuous claim that the protests, presentations to council, petitions to parliament, rallies, submissions and the formation of SAFE Inc. (Stop Arms Fairs in Eurobodalla) are just the works of a “noisy minority”.

Unfortunately there has been no noticeable improvement in the council’s community engagement, especially at the most recent meeting, when in spite of strong presentations in public forum, councillors voted in closed session to extend the licence for HuntFest, with sale of guns, for a further five years, taking it well into the term of the next council and possibly beyond. Councillors Gabi Harding and Danielle Brice are the only councillors who have consistently acted on behalf of the community. 

The promotion in our shire of gun ownership can only be seen as an irresponsible action on the part of council, an action that will lead inevitably to more guns in the community and the resultant violence.

In a further  attempt to prevent this happening residents may decide to voice their concerns to Niall Blair, the Minister for Crown Lands who is responsible for giving final approval to the use of a public facility for the sale of firearms.

Residents may also take the opportunity in September to elect a new council that will truly represent the views of the majority on events as significant as HuntFest and will attempt to pay more than lip service to the ideals of transparency, accountability, and public engagement.  

This week, former Prime Minister John Howard, called for further tightening of Australian gun laws.

Our Eurobodalla Shire Council, namely Councillors Neil Burnside, Milton Leslight, Liz Innes and Peter Schwartz, voted two weeks ago to extend the Huntfest licence for a further five years.

 Huntfest promotes the use and sale of firearms, and this dangerous and distasteful practice, carried out with council approval, on council land, will now continue well into the future.