As a result of the advertisement in the Magnet of November 19, I forwarded a letter to BVSC suggesting that the names of Brierly and Budgenbro be earnestly considered.

In part my letter to council stated: “Oswald Brierly was Ben Boyd's manager and Budgenbro a a native of this area. (1840s). These two gentlemen worked in harmony and mutual respect at a time when such  was rare. Their friendship and conciliation stands as a shining example, even today, as it did over 170 years ago.” 

Pleasingly, the suggestion was accepted at the recent meeting and that of naming another site Budginbro (there a are couple of spellings of this name), and to keep these sites close to one another to mark this historical fact.

Several other site names have also been chosen to commemorate other contributors to the town, none the least Alex McKenzie, well remembered by the community and a stalwart of Eden Killer Whale Museum.

Jack Dickenson, Eden

On behalf of the Nethercote Residents Association I’d like to extend a huge thank you to the generous owners of some of our local businesses who were happy to donate goods and services to our Christmas party 2015.  

These include Finola and Craig Lukey, IGA, Great Southern Inn, Marty Davidson, Pambula Fruit Barn and the Pambula Little Bottler.

Thanks also to all who attended and helped including: Nethercote firies, Simon Green, Evan Page, Michael Lackey, Ross Elliot, Joanna Maul, Marzenna and James Hinckley, Ray Tynan, Eve Vermazen, Shereen Green, Caroline Winnel, Birgit Williamson and the Nethercote Residents Association Committee.

It is wonderful what a small community can pull together to make a Christmas party a fabulously memorable celebration.

Carol and Brian Ahern, Nethercote

ABC Radio South East seems determined to pursue its free public relations service on behalf of Bega Valley Shire Council.

“Our ABC” was at it again this week, for the umpteenth time, spruiking one of council’s favourite projects, the new Tura Beach Library, scheduled to open sometime this year. 

Not satisfied with squandering ratepayers funds, council is now busy adding insult to injury by running a public “naming competition” for the new facility.

Council says that entries must contain the words “community” and “library” to be eligible, although I think that “fiscal folly” is a more appropriate description.

For those who may have forgotten, council (the ratepayers) borrowed $1.2m in June, 2013, to buy the tavern. 

The tavern will have been empty for three years when the new library finally opens, having cost ratepayers another $150,000 in interest costs. Not satisfied with that effort, council in December last year decided to splurge a further $1m on the fit-out for the library.

To add insult to injury, council refused to consider locating the new library in the newly purchased AUSWIDE building: a decision that would have made far more sense given the facility’s alleged “training” activities and the fact that fit-out costs would have been minimised.

It was once said that if you want to understand who benefits from an action, the best way is to “follow the money”. So who benefited from the purchase of the Tura Beach Tavern?

It certainly wasn’t the residents and ratepayers, who are simply expected to continue to fund council’s financial follies without question or complaint … and certainly never from “our ABC”.

John Tait, Merimbula