No doubt some will say “how dare you say we need to cull them”. But that is exactly what needs to happen. 

If a land holder doesn’t cull his domestic stock they will destroy our land, which is exactly what the wildlife are doing.

Don’t you know what the rabbits did in the 1930s to the 1960s? Wombats are 100 times worse.

Can’t you see your creeks and rivers falling in at the sides and washing away? Have a look at the sand that washes in. Wombats do that.

Did you know that wombats have only been in the Valley since the late 1980s?

I would need millions of dollars to put my place back to what it was like before they arrived. 

A couple of weeks ago I rang the National Parks office and asked them “if I had 100 kangaroos on my farm how many tags could I have?” They answered 50.

I then asked the same question about wombats and got an answer of three. Are you serious? Stock are dying in wombat burrows.

If you are happy enough to cull the brumbies, why not wombats too? Come on, fair go, all the aforementioned animals need culling.

Please don’t use the word “extinct” when it comes to the topic of culling. There’s millions out there so a little bit of culling won’t make a huge impact. 

As for Potoroo Palace saying “put openings in fences for wombats to use” they still make new holes. Wombats aren’t going to wander up and down a fence line looking for a hole to go through. 

They’re just going to dig one when and where they want to.

On my own property we have just spent $30,000 on a brand new fox proof fence to protect my ewes and lambs during lambing season.

Wombats have already dug holes under these fences allowing access for the foxes to attack the lambs and lambing ewes. 

If people are culling the wildlife, I applaud them, for they are the true conservationists.

Noel Watson, Bega

Thank you to the four young good Samaritans who came to my aide in the Tura Beach carpark last Thursday.

I couldn't start my car, they helped with a push start and when that didn't work lent me a phone and waited until further assistance was on the way.

They are assets to our community!

Ann Vroombout, Merimbula

There is no doubt the timing of the review by IPART of the NSW local government rating system could have been better. 

However councillors’ complaints about lack of opportunity for ratepayers to be consulted, and for members of the previous council to respond, ring a little hollow after council’s general manager confirmed all councillors were given the chance to contribute to its submission to IPART.

As to the lack of opportunity for public consultation, perhaps council could explain why it didn’t make residents and ratepayers aware of the review via a media release, so they could make submissions to IPART?

While there was only one council meeting where the newly-elected council could consider and respond to IPART ahead of its October 14 deadline for final responses, the draft was released August 22, and so was available for consideration by the newly-elected councillors for two weeks between when they formally assumed office on September 28 and the council meeting held October 12.

It seems both councils had adequate time to consider the issue and respond against the IPART Review timeline, but failed to afford residents and ratepayers the same opportunity.

Fraser Buchanan, Merimbula