It seems the majority of respondents (local and dog owners) have overwhelmingly rejected the changes. I have two small dogs and being able to walk them unrestricted provides a great deal of happiness for myself and my girlfriend.  My mother enjoys nothing more than her early morning walk with the dogs free of leash. 

I have met many residents, many of them elderly, who also love spending their time letting our dogs play together and catching up for a chat.  These dog walks, both morning and evening, are their only source of connection. 

I cannot understand why the council would seek to impose rules that take away these basic rights of rate-paying dog lovers merely to appease tourists. Residents have rights!

Hope House manager Shirley Diskon was honoured with a community award at last weekend’s Lions Club of Batemans Bay changeover luncheon.

Lions Club President Jackie Harding presented the award to Shirley in recognition of her tireless work with homeless men in our community. Lions Batemans Bay presented Hope House with a donation of $1000 which will be used to purchase a much-needed oven for the house.

On Sunday, the staff and residents of Hope House manned the BBQ at Bunnings in Batemans Bay and raised $1200. A number of the residents of Hope House have completed their courses at Adult Ed and are now qualified for work on road maintenance sites. A number of the men have work prospects expected to happen over the coming weeks.

Why? That is the first question people ask when I tell them Forestry NSW is going to log Corunna Forest. 

We live in one of the most beautiful places in Australia and I think it is fair to say the majority of us live here for its beautiful beaches, pristine lakes, and wonderful forests. It is absurd that we are not able to protect this environment from the devastation of land clearing and logging of our native forests.

I am spokesperson for the Corunna Forest Protection Group and to this day have about 2000 online signatures and nearly 500 signed petitions.

Eurobodalla Shire is all about attracting tourists to the region exploiting its scenic beauty in all of their promotions. Our community is dependent on tourism for economic growth, so why are we even contemplating the destruction of Corunna Forest?

Corunna forest is the gateway to the historic Tilba Heritage Landscape and the Histroric Village of Central Tilba. This forest has cultural significance since it is connected to Gulaga, where the wedged tailed eagles fly and roam foraging for food.

We have investigated the bird life in this forest and recorded 125 species, including shore birds, several on the threatened species list. Notably, the migratory swift parrot, a priority species under the Australian Government’s Threatened Species Strategy, travels all the way from the Tarkine in Tasmania to feed on the flowering spotted gums in Corunna Forest.

The harvesting is devastating to the habitat of so many species and the erosion it will cause will create huge problems for the complex ecosystems that keep Corunna Lake a pristine environment.

The reasons not to log the forest by far outweigh the reasons to proceed.