It has been quite some time since we have been treated to such a positive approach from the Magnet when writing about the timber industry, without some negative theme being included.

They are to be congratulated and maybe, just maybe, they are the true champion of all local industry after all.

How lucky is Eden to have the new owners of the chip mill in our midst. They have shown themselves to be a totally professional outfit and with the necessary expertise to deal with almost anything thrown at them.

Their “blue sky” approach is to be commended, because without it, we may have had a situation where the easy option was just to close the facility down and create another massive headache for the Eden community.

It must be said their recovery was so quick and thorough since the storm, that it could be argued there was some divine intervention and assistance from above.

Harriet Swift could be possibly right when she previously suggested through this forum, following the consequences of the storm, that God does indeed work in mysterious ways. 

I too viewed the clearing of Boydtown Caravan Park with some concern, so much so that I spoke directly to the manager and then to the owner.

Boydtown’s pastoral manager described what they have planned for the caravan park while assuring me that all the clearing was within their approved DA consent.

The manager told me they intend to build on-site demountable accommodation alongside dedicated sports areas, then selectively replant the park with appropriate shrubs and trees. The main problem with the existing trees were they were in constant danger of blowing or falling over being very shallow-rooted and regularly losing limbs, hence the replanting with appropriate flora.

Places like Boydtown need our support if we are to survive on tourism.

It goes without saying that as long as these developments are conducive to our needs and are done within the guidelines of their DA they should be supported by all of us.

I’ve had a personal history with Boydtown since 1978 when I first moved down here and have watched it evolve from an unkempt hotel and pastoral estate to a jewel in the crown of the Far South Coast.

During this time I have watched Boydtown return its land from scrub choked overgrown forest/bush into open sclerophyll forest not unlike how it would have been pre-European interference. I have witnessed first-hand the return of many of the native species that once thrived in our area as well as an escalation in feral animal numbers. 

I believe it’s due to the food sources now available through their selective clearing program that has returned native grasses alongside new improved pastures, all of which stands testament to what Boydtown is trying to do –  a balance between the improved and the natural.

It has been well established that Facebook encourages instant and foolish responses, when a bit of thought would result in a more measured reply to irritation.

I was an Alderman of the city of Hobart and was often provoked into wanting to respond hotly, but that was before Facebook, so I could not retort rashly. That saved me from a lot of needless controversy, obviously a lesson that Cr Bain has yet to learn.

At the bottom line, being insulting to voters is not a good idea at any level of a democracy. I learned to bite my lip. When being questioned by a voter, “a soft answer turneth away wrath.” Let’s hope Cr Bain  has learned that lesson, or will do so very soon.