On Sunday, well over 20 ladies arrived, with community spirit in mind, and helped Amanda pack small care packages containing a face washer, shampoos, soaps, tissues, toothbrushes and paste, wet ones, tea bags, etc, until the supplies ran out.

All of the small items had been donated by shops, motels or individuals and Amanda was completely blown away by the amazing sense of community. She said if the kits helped an exhausted firefighter to wipe his face or cheered up a person who has had to be evacuated, then she felt she was doing a good thing. She will now have a well-earned Christmas break and get back at it again in the new year.

Marisa and Tony Backo were out and about celebrating their 59th wedding anniversary at lunch at a local restaurant last Friday. Congratulations and best wishes, you two!

Denise Brown of Catalina has enjoyed having her young twin grandsons visiting lately. The family, who live at Bungendore, have brought the boys down to see Nan and Pop a few times lately.

The local U3A Tai Chi for Arthritis Group finished off their year last week, with a posh morning tea at a local cafe. The ladies were very impressed with it.

The leaders of the Batehaven Tai Chi for Arthritis group, along with some of their pupils, put on a demonstration of the finer art of Tai Chi in the Village Centre on Monday morning.

People who have been using the Cooma-Bega route while the Kings Highway has been closed, have mentioned that the trip, which obviously takes a lot longer to negotiate, has been a real eye-opener, as the country up there is brown and desert-like. How desperately do we need some good rain?

Have you all seen the new pink signs and stickers "Love the Bay" which is a promotion for all of us to be aware of? It is a campaign to generate local pride, and is aimed at generating positive community pride amongst Batemans Bay residents and visitors who already holiday in "The Bay".