editorial Welcome to this week’s editorial, Things are changing in Eurobodalla. And it appears, so far, for the be5er. The first thing you no7ce is the spike in our popula7on. There are so many more sea-changers and lifestylechangers in the region, driven here by the realisa7on that they could work differently and live differently. Ini7ally the spike had an impact on our local services and resources but things have se5led down a lot more in recent months as winter sets in and the noise and bustle of holiday makers decreases to a burble. What we are le; with is our ‘New Normal’. Granted there are more folks about, our schools have become a li5le more crowded, our doctors calendars are under more pressure and the demands for trades folk and materials have added to the impacts. But steadily we are adjus7ng. The constant bushfire threat has been lessened by the dreariness of volumes of relentless rain. Our houses that once cracked and moved due to years of drought now creak and groan to the saturated landscape while mould adds its own pa7na to our walls. While Covid s7ll with us there appears to be a sense of renewed freedom that at least has us out and about socialising, support local businesses and reminding us of the beauty of this stunning region we call home. It appears that our hiberna7ons may have helped us to have a mind shi; over the last couple of years. Prior to the bushfires there was an Us and Them in regards to whether you believed in Climate Change. Back then there were possibly more who felt we lived in a ‘Variable and Changing climate’ than those who felt otherwise. A;er the fires, a;er the floods, opinions have shi;ed. So much so it is now a major elec7on issue. Many old ideas and models are being ques7oned. The way we did things does not necessarily mean we should con7nue doing the same old same old. Coal power is on the table, as too our electricity bills. Fuel is on the table as too our food bills, rising costs of health and dental are there as well to represent our well being and the increases in cost of living are under the microscope along with transport, educa7on, wages, jobs and growth. The elec7on promises are numerous. But the solu7ons being offered lack detail when ques7oned. Refreshingly at a local level we have a new Council who are progressively making changes of their own. They have looked at the past to determine how the Council came to sink its current toxic state. Having come to the determina7on that the organisa7on, in general, is sound, with a passionate professional staff, dedicated to best serving the community within the resources and budgets provided, the focus now for the new councillors should be to remove the blemishes and ro5en sec7ons of the core and to restore the community’s respect and regard in local government. The sen7ment of ‘WWW’, ‘My Way or the Highway’ or ‘This is how we have always done it’ is steadily being replaced with ‘This is how we will do it, moving ahead’ with inclusion of the community. A prime example of the clash between Old and New came about this week when the discussion of Congo Road North came to Council. The new Councillors agreed that the Council staff had failed to sa7sfactorily inform and engage with the community on the ma5er and, as such, voted to defer the ma5er for three months to ensure all avenues were considered. But there was one voice of dissent. An old voice, a 7red voice, a lazy voice, that reflected the Council’s ac7ons of the last twenty years to the issue. Had the vote been with the last term of Council it would have gone through as “do nothing” with a possible 7 against 2 vote. These are new days and with that comes new eyes and a determina7on to bring a halt to mediocrity, complacency, ego driven decisions, vindic7veness or inep7tude. Hopefully it will be the new Council that recognises the primary needs of the community and delivers, whilst listening to and considering those things that might rise to help restore us to the vibrant, informed and included community we once were. Here is hoping that the same approach can be made, and achieved, at a State level and at a Federal level. The days of audacity, ego, self interest and mediocrity need to be replaced with inclusion of us all. It is our hard work, our taxes, our gambles, our lives, our futures and the future of genera7ons to come that must be on the table. Local, State and Federal. We can be so much be5er at this. If only those who are in charge are prepared to realise “it is a race” and we are all in it. Un7l next—lei beagle weekly : Vol 259 May 13th 2022
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