Timely reminder
After recent high profile sportsmen misbehaving, I thought it might be timely to remind ourselves of the opposite.
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After growing up here and then with public school support Kye Otton achieved a very high level in results and performance at the top level of professional surfing.
Congratulations to Kye, his family and other mentors for showing us gentle, good and successful men do exist.
Bob Arthur, Merimbula
Bureaucracy gone mad?
Recently I applied to council to remove some trees along Summerhill Road which encroach on my boundary fence adjoining Summerhill Road. The trees concerned are on council land, ie ratepayers’ land.
The idea was to remove the trees at my expense, use some of the trees for fence posts and the balance of the timber for firewood. The idea seemed fairly simple or so I thought, not wasting ratepayers money on the removal of these trees and being able to repair and renew my fence.
When I put this proposal to council staff, I was informed I would have to lodge a “Section 138 certificate application” and pay a fee of $257. At first I thought this was a bit of a joke. The trees are not on my property, but council property.
Some of the trees are growing into the wire on my fence. I reckon this is bureaucracy gone absolutely mad and needs some serious attention. What do councillors think of this? Is this how our council is prepared to have its ratepayers treated?
Allan George, South Pambula
Thanks from Legacy
Far South Coast Legacy would like to thank all the people who so generously gave their time to sell badges during our annual fundraiser. Also we would like to thank the committees of Merimbula, Pambula, Eden and Tura Beach who gave so generously. We raised $5676 and this money will be used in helping our local war veteran widows. Thank you all very much.
Far South Coast Legacy
Save water, go vegan
The Bureau of Meteorology has just announced that, following a dry summer, a dry autumn and a dry winter, spring is going to be “drier than usual”. With water levels down below 10 percent in many areas, now is the time to consider ways to save water.
It's undeniable that between irrigating the crops that farmed animals eat, providing millions of animals with drinking water each year, and washing away the filth of factory farms, transport trucks and slaughterhouses, animal agriculture places a tremendous strain on our precious water supply.
It takes on average 4000 litres of water to produce a steak. It takes over 500 litres of water to produce a litre of milk.
A combined study carried out by the University of Melbourne's School of Social and Environmental Enquiry and its Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering found that a vegetarian diet could save households up to 35 per cent of their total water usage, 13 times the volume of water that would be saved by not watering the garden. Going vegan saves over 4000 litres every day, and not eating a kilo of meat saves more water than not showering for 12 months.
In addition to being terrible for the environment, today's factory farms cram intelligent animals by the thousands into dark, filthy cages or windowless sheds, where they are denied everything that makes life worth living.
You can save water, save money, and save hundreds of animals from a life of suffering and a terrifying death, just by going vegan.
Desmond Bellamy, PETA Australia
- Letters to the editor on any suitable topic are welcomed. Email submissions on no more than 300 words to ben.smyth@fairfaxmedia.com.au with a name and home town for publishing and a daytime contact number for verification.