Latest Reader Comments on Bay Post-Moruya Examiner

• Jeff de Jager From “A year on: shire mayor reflects | bonus video”
  Members of an organisation faced with lots of criticism would be well advised to ask themselves the question "why are we getting so much flak?" and conduct a little introspection before shrigging off the "usual suspects" The mayor compares this council with the previous regime - I would rather see some healthy debate than what seems to be cowed submission. On the subject of the Mackay Park developments, the mayor is yet to tell us the point at which the proposed centre's costs become "unaffordable" but was happy to poroceed with grant applications without full estimates of the costs - someone had said it was too hard to calculate depreciationj and borrowing costs! The whole project's affordability hasn't yet been tested by any comparisons of designs or construction costs - only one consultant, hastily selected during the usual coucil Christmas close-down period, has expressed opinions to form the basis of council's grant applications. My way or the back roads!
• Terry McGee From “Get a sticky beak at a sustainable home”
  Heh heh, we ran into Bay Post Editor, Kerrie, at Paul's house. Small world syndrome! Paul's house had lots of interesting features. And Paul instantly put forward some suggestions on improvements we could make, just given the issues we want to address. We're going to have him round soon to follow up. Also saw Kathryn & Thomas' home in Moruya - again, lots of good ideas that can be done on a budget. Didn't get to the other two houses, but heard great reports from some who did. The moral of the story is inescapable. Making your house more sustainable isn't hard, and brings great benefits. The ultra-conservative right likes to pretend that being green involves returning to the caves. Didn't see any caves today - just nice, warm, well-lit, comfortable houses that are cheaper than average to run. Get smart, go sustainable!
• Terry McGee From “Dunns Creek fire contained: RFS”
  Great work, all. That was a pretty rugged few days for firefighters - hot, dry and with high winds, and a pretty inaccessible area. Interesting to watch the fire-bombing chopper at work. Interesting for us to contrast the professionalism of the local volunteer firefighters dealing with this quite unexpected outburst with the Canberra bushfires that had been known about and approaching for weeks, but suddenly caught the local authorities completely offguard. Living in the western suburb of Holder, we saw and heard no appliances. First official contact was a police car carrying four police that cruised by an hour and a half after the fire went over. When they saw us they stopped and told us we had to evacuate. Yeah, sure. Follow the fire into danger and leave house and workshop to burn? Not this little black duck. By this stage 5 houses had been lost in our street and we had put out a fire in our garden. But the worst was clearly over. So, people. Clearly a wake-up call. We've had a hot wet summer, followed a mild dry winter. Fuel loads are high, and there have been limited opportunities for hazard reductions. Fire has a plan. Do you?