Editorial

Welcome to this week’s editorial, Things are changing in Eurobodalla. And it appears, so far, for the be er. The first thing you no ce is the spike in our popula on. There are so many more sea-changers and lifestylechangers in the region, driven here by the realisa on that they could work differently and live differently. Ini ally the spike had an impact on our local services and resources but things have se led 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 li le 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 adjus ng. 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 pa na to our walls. While Covid s ll 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 hiberna ons 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 elec on issue. Many old ideas and models are being ques oned. The way we did things does not necessarily mean we should con nue 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, educa on, wages, jobs and growth. The elec on promises are numerous. But the solu ons being offered lack detail when ques oned. 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 determina on that the organisa on, 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 ro en sec ons of the core and to restore the community’s respect and regard in local government. The sen ment 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 sa sfactorily inform and engage with the community on the ma er and, as such, voted to defer the ma er for three months to ensure all avenues were considered. But there was one voice of dissent. An old voice, a red voice, a lazy voice, that reflected the Council’s ac ons 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 determina on to bring a halt to mediocrity, complacency, ego driven decisions, vindic veness or inep tude. 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 genera ons to come that must be on the table. Local, State and Federal. We can be so much be er at this. If only those who are in charge are prepared to realise “it is a race” and we are all in it. Un l next—lei

Cover photo: Looking through the glasshouse.

Photographer Dean Songberg says: “During the new moon I was looking for somewhere to take a milky way photo along the coast, Montague Island grabbed my a en on to have in the photo with the milky way core rising overhead. If you align the lighthouse with the core you end up at glasshouse rocks. I scouted the loca on during the day but by the me it was night the de was high and I had to re-locate. I se led on aligning the lighthouse between the rocks and waited for the core to line up.

Entries to the NSW Oyster Conference Photo Compe on

The NSW Oyster Conference is happening next week in Batemans Bay, home to Australia’s Oyster Coast opera ons and Clyde River oyster farmers. The conference a racts over 300 NSW oyster farmers providing a unique opportunity to share, learn and connect with other growers and industry stakeholders. The NSW oyster industry has played an iconic visual role of the NSW estuarine environment for over 140 years. To celebrate this, the conference commi ee will be running its first photo compe on in 2022. This compe on shines a spotlight on the historic importance of the oyster industry to the estuaries of NSW and the communi es that live along these waterways. The compe on encourages members and the community to visually document the oyster industry that plays such an important role in regional coastal communi es like Batemans Bay. It also aims to a ract regional workers and sea changers to consider a career in aquaculture, and to encourage more people to eat more oysters more o en. The photo compe on is open to the public (professional category) and the industry membership (amateur category) with fame and $400 offered to the winner in each category. With professional photographers like Josh Burkinshaw entering the compe on, the calibre of photos are sure to impress. More details on the photo compe on can be found here: h ps://www.nswoysters.com.au/2022photocontest.html Close May 15th 2022

Rob and Kate from South Coast Pix took me out from their busy schedule to visit Nelligan and capture the last of the new bridge sec ons going into place.

The SCP team captured the Batemans Bay Bridge from start to finish and are preparing a glossy coffee table book to celebrate the project.

Community Rotary awards valued employees

Ten employees nominated by their employers were celebrated at Narooma Rotary’s annual Pride of Workmanship Awards at a special dinner at Narooma Golf Club on Thursday. “It’s such an upli ing evening, giving employers the opportunity to publicly recognise how much they appreciate key staff members for what they contribute to their workplace,” said Awards MC Rotarian David McInnes. “A great strength of these awards is it’s not a compe on; everyone nominated is a winner.

“These awards also show that these businesses care about their employees and our community is the be er for that. A common thread in the cita ons this year is happiness and smiles which make us all feel welcome.” Narooma Rotary Vice President Ange Ulrichsen presented awards to Kristy Buchan (Bodalla Pub), Teagan Nicholson (Dalmeny Long Day Child Care Centre), Kasey Jones (Dromedary Hotel), Jim Sharpe (Es a Health), Tracey Cooper (IRT Dalmeny), Layton Moore (Narooma Fishing & Dive Centre), Gayle Allison (Narooma High School), Adrian Mahony (Narooma Ice Creamery Café), Michelle Harding (Narooma Ice Creamer Café) and Chrissy Lansley (Tilba Dairy). Awards organiser Laurelle Pacey said Narooma Rotarians are really proud of this programme and the support it receives from local businesses.

“I’m always quite moved by the cita ons we receive about nominees; some are quite emo onal showing just how much they’re valued by their bosses in so many ways. It makes these Awards all the more worthwhile.” Jim Sharpe and Gayle Allison were unable to a end. Above: Receiving Narooma Rotary 2022 Pride of Workmanship Awards are Teagan Nicholson (Dalmeny Long Day Care), front le , Kasey Jones (Dromedary Hotel),Chrissy Lansley (Tilba Dairy), Michelle Harding (Narooma Ice Creamery Café), Kristy Buchan (Bodalla Pub), Tracey Cooper (IRT Dalmeny), Rotary Vice President Ange Ulrichsen; Rotarian Laurelle Pacey, back le , Layton Moore (Narooma Fishing & Dive Centre), Adrian Mahony (Narooma Ice Creamery Café), and Rodney Flopp (represen ng Jim Sharpe Es a Health).

Narooma residents are invited to give their feedback on a new $4 million wharf as plans for the project are put on public display. The project is part of the NSW Government’s $205 million package to deliver major improvements to mari me infrastructure for commercial vessels, tour operators and boa ng enthusiasts. The Government was obliged to update and transforming ageing mari me infrastructure and facili es across the state to enable people to safely access, use and navigate coastal waters and rivers. Community consulta on on the detailed planning documents for the construc on of the Narooma wharf is underway and everyone in the local and broader communi es is encouraged to provide their feedback as an important part of the planning process while giving local residents and businesses the opportunity to help shape the final outcome by providing informa on about specific needs of their community. Narooma wharf is currently used by tour boat operators, commercial fishing vessels, tourists and the local community. A new, modern first class mari me facility should help local businesses, tourism, and economic growth by con nuing to a ract boa ng and watercra enthusiasts to the area. The project plan includes the demoli on of the deteriora ng wharf and construc on of a 143m long new main wharf. The new wharf project will also involve: installa on of a 10-metre-long lower-level landing with stairs connec ng to the main wharf and shore level which will provide safer access for users boarding boats during high and low des installa on of a sewage pump-out facility for tour boats upgrade of fire-figh ng facili es, u li es and electrical outlets Benefits of the new wharf include: improved access for commercial, industrial and recrea onal vessels enhanced use of mari me infrastructure for recrea onal and tourism purposes improved safety for vessels, passengers and pedestrians improved access, par cularly for users with mobility impairments and parents/ carers with prams. The Review of Environmental Factors (REF) will be on public display un l Thursday 16 June 2022. Interested community members will be able to speak directly to the project team during two public informa on sessions at the Narooma Sports and Leisure Centre, on Thursday 26 May, 6pm-8pm and Saturday 28 May, 2pm-4pm. Comments on the REF should be sent by 16 June 2022 via: email to Naroomawharfproject@transport.nsw.gov.au post to Narooma Wharf Project, Locked Bag 5100, Camperdown NSW 1450. More informa on on the project can be found HERE. h ps://roads-waterways.transport.nsw.gov.au/mari me/projects/narooma-wharf-replacement/index.html

Community Narooma pool to close for maintenance

Narooma Swimming Centre will close to patrons for eight weeks from Monday 23 May while Eurobodalla Council repaints the pool and upgrades the facility’s air-handling system. The pool shell, last painted in 2017, is star ng to fade. New epoxy paint will provide a smoother surface, a vibrant finish and also protect the concrete underneath.

An upgrade of the facility’s 17-year-old failing air condi oning and hea ng system will result in more consistent temperatures in and out of the pool, energy efficiencies, and reduced humidity, which will increase the life of the pool’s plant and equipment. The Eurobodalla Aqua c Strategy, adopted in February 2017 offered: "Narooma Swimming Centre does not reflect contemporary aqua c facility trends, has few components that contribute to more successful facili es and/ or cater for a diversified range of markets. it has 37,440 visits per annum, which translated to 101 per day The report noted that while the centre provides basic services, it is dated, aesthe cally poor and has a limited economically useful life. The study proposed the following development ra onale: “Council’s swimming pools will play a central role in mee ng a wide diversity of leisure, sport, fitness, health and social needs throughout the Shire. In doing so, the pools will seek to meet a range of needs which are not adequately provided for – par cularly in the north and central precincts of the Shire. These needs include year-round fitness and club swimming, leisure swimming and warm water therapy. The upgraded program also addresses the advanced age of the pools and the associated asset maintenance issues – par cularly with respect to the Narooma Indoor Pool.” The recommended upgrade/ redevelopment proposals for Narooma pool included: - Demolish exis ng facility. · - Develop indoor program/ leisure pool and associated facili es (e.g. café) · - Develop 50m x 8-lane pool in tank of exis ng indoor pool. · - Provide for future expansion of dry facili es. Key recommenda ons in rela on to aqua c facili es were: · o Fill in children’s pool and replace with aqua play area. o Inves gate co-loca on of addi onal facili es such as gym and café to improve economic viability. o Poten al to redesign exis ng 50m pool to accommodate three separate bodies of water: 25m indoor pool, hydrotherapy and beach entry play pool. From analysis of previous research, patronage at all three of Council’s aqua c facili es are significantly subsidised, with Narooma having the highest cost per visit It was iden fied that replacing the 50m Narooma Pool with a 50m pool would be economically unviable. By way of comparison, based on comparing the es mated 2016 Narooma Pool catchment popula on of 8,077 against the CERM18 Group 7 Indoor Pools catchment mul ple (8.8), total visita on of 71,078 could be achieved. On this basis Narooma Pool is performing substan ally below expecta ons. However, it would be unlikely that Narooma Pool would perform in line with the median performance of pools in this category on the CERM database as the vast majority would be much larger than Narooma Pool and would therefore have

far greater capacity to generate patronage and revenue. Council used the Aqua c strategy to argue the shire did not require two 50m pools and, as such, they determined to replace the Batemans Bay pool with a 25m pool. When the Narooma Pool requires replacement it will be argued that a 50m facility would be economically unviable and would require considerable supplementa on of cket prices due to the low patronage es mated serve a popula on of 8500 in 2036.

NOTE: The Eurobodalla Aqua c Strategy, adopted in February 2017 was presented to councillors unseen to vote on. It was developed by a consultant and used as the jus fica on of a 25m pool replacement as per an op on developed by that same consultant. The public were neither consulted or no fied. This remains one of the gravest traves es of the Innes/Dale term of Council.

In regards to the proposed closure Eurobodalla Council’s facili es coordinator Paul Bladen said there was never a good me to close the pool, however the winter months typically had lower patronage. “We know some swimmers will be disappointed by the closure but these are essen al works that will ul mately improve the experience, from the moment they enter the building to the moment they jump in the pool,” he said. “The ming will also assist in transi oning the management of the pool."

Moruya RSL Sub -Branch thanks the community for the support given to the Anzac Day services at Bodalla, Bergalia and Moruya. Members are reminded our mee ngs are held on the third Tuesday each month so we expect to see you on Tuesday 17th May at 2pm at the RSL Memorial Hall. We welcome all veterans and service personnel from the armed forces who would like to come along and meet us.

The office is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:30am to 12noon at the RSL Memorial Hall 11 Page St Moruya or phone 02 4474 3513.

www.iga.com.au/catalogue

Eurobodalla Council is partnering with La Trobe University and Pallia ve Care NSW to explore how the end-of -life experience for residents can be improved.

The Council is one of the first local governments to partner with La Trobe on its Healthy End of Life Project, which gathers evidence to inform pallia ve care and ul mately looks to shi community culture around death and dying. Eurobodalla Council’s community care service manager Sally Pryor said talking about death and dying, and asking for support, could be challenging for many. “Early La Trobe research found that people caring for someone approaching the end of their life did not o en ask for help from friends and family, and when help was offered, they did not or were reluctant to accept,” she said. “People didn’t want to ‘be a burden’ and thought that death and dying was a ‘private ma er’ and that ‘needing support’ could be perceived as ‘not coping’. “This needs to change, but first we need to find out what informa on and services already exist in the shire, understand what a healthy end of life looks like for our community; and also raise community awareness around this important phase of our lives.” While this stage of the project explores what exists and future opportuni es, Council is offering three free community sessions during Na onal Pallia ve Care Week to start the conversa on. Presented by Carolyn Vaughan from La Trobe University’s School of Psychology and Public Health at Moruya’s Mechanics Ins tute, the sessions suit agencies and residents who want to be er understand how pallia ve care fits into end of life, whether they need now or might in the future. Tuesday 24 May, 10am-12pm - What is

Pallia ve Care? Tuesday 24 May, 1-3pm - Create comfort for your loved one Wednesday 25 May, 10am-12pm - My Collabora ve Care Plan

Bookings through Eventbrite are essen al. An online survey is available for those unable to a end the workshops but who wish to have input into the broader project. For more informa on about the Healthy End of Life Project, including the online survey, visit h ps://www.esc.nsw.gov.au/council/ major-projects/current-projects/planningrecrea on-business/healthy-end-of-life-project

Community Helping sports clubs play the long game

Eurobodalla’s spor ng scene has changed drama cally over the past 10 years. Even without natural disasters and a pandemic, our clubs face significant challenges. To help future-proof local sports clubs, Eurobodalla Council is launching a new Sports Resource Kit to help them plan for their future, as well as financial incen ves to help them gain a compe ve edge. Council’s recrea on development coordinator Tina Smith said Covid in par cular had changed the way people spent their down me. “Ac ve recrea on is now compe ng with club sport for people’s leisure me and our commi ees need support,” she said. “Clubs have had three very disrup ve years recovering, and reinven ng, and Council wants to acknowledge them and help where we can. “We know clubs bring significant benefits to our shire, connec ng communi es and improving our health and wellbeing, so it’s vital our clubs are supported to remain sustainable into the future.” Thanks to a grant under the Commonwealth and NSW Governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements, clubs will have access to a new Sports Resource Kit, providing them a one-stop shop in club management. The result of feedback from clubs provided in workshops last year, the kit includes things like informa on on local grant opportuni es and how to apply, templates for future planning, and sports management ps, tricks and checklists. Council is also launching new financial incen ve program which rewards clubs that embed planning and sustainability into their opera ons. Sports clubs can pick up their free kit and learn more about the program at a project launch at Moruya Golf Club on Tuesday 24 May, 5-7pm. Bookings are required for catering purposes via Eventbrite. For more informa on about the Future-proofing sport in Eurobodalla project, contact Council’s recrea on development coordinator Tina Smith via 4474 1000 or visit h ps://www.esc.nsw.gov.au/community/sport-andrecrea on/support-for-clubs Eurobodalla sports clubs can pick up a free Sports Resource Kit and learn more about how Council can help them remain sustainable into the future at an event at Moruya Golf Club on Tuesday 24 May.

Community For Sale – Iconic Moruya Café

Established 1925 – South Coast NSW Con nual service for almost 100 years. Sea ng for approximately 60 people with a central Main Street loca on. The café has a strong sitdown clientele plus a large take away demand. The Shop area is approx. 180 square metres plus a large cool room. There are four car spaces accessed by a back lane. Guillermo (Billy) Olmos and his partner Barbara McLean say it’s me to re re and let some younger and fresher people take over. Moruya’s Iconic and best known and longest trading Café is on the market. A er 14 years and now with one of us in our 70’s, it is really me to re re. Located in Vulcan Street, Moruya’s main thoroughfare through the centre of town, it is the busiest and best café loca on! This is a great opportunity to secure a ready made high traffic successful business site. This is a WIWO opportunity. The price is $75 000 ono and the opportunity is there to generate revenue from day 1. Guillermo (Billy) Olmos and Barbara McLean 0478229003

Community Our Own Nelligen Time Capsule, Bring Something Along This Saturday's Family Fun Day!

Photos, story, map, artwork, music

Things to consider: What does Nelligen mean to me and my family? What changes have we seen – any historical informa on. Significant sites, places, events, leaders; Our local experiences, especially over the last two years Looking to the future What are our hopes and visions for the future; Surprising strengths, lessons we have learnt; What could bring our community together; What we love about our Nelligen community Gathering items Items need to fit inside a sandwich sized ziplock bag or A4 sheet of paper. If your items are too big – try taking a photo to go in the bag. Get the whole family involved and making contribu ons. Feel free to add your name and contact details - op onal. You’ll have up to two weeks a er the event to hand in your items

On the Day Come and spend me with us at our stall to create your items. We will provide promp ng sheets for the adults and children. All materials will be supplied as well as a relaxing space to create. We will provide assistance, support and ideas on the day. Bring your family and friends to par cipant in this great fun day

community Night work on the Princes Highway near East Lynne, Sussex Inlet, Fishermans Paradise, and BBay

Motorists are advised of night work from today on the Princes Highway at various loca ons for emergency resurfacing work. Work will be carried out at Tomerong for one kilometre on Sunday 15 May, at a number of loca ons between Burrill Lake and Batemans Bay on Monday 16 May, near the intersec on Sussex Inlet Road for about one kilometre on Tuesday 17 and Wednesday 18 May and near Gooloo Creek at Fishermans Paradise for about one kilometre on Thursday 19 May. All work will be carried out at night between 5pm and 5am, weather permi ng. A reduced speed limit of 40 km/h will be in place and one lane will be closed during work hours. Road users are advised to follow the direc on of traffic control and should allow up to ten minutes addi onal travel me. Traffic controllers will be on site to direct motorists.

Transport for NSW thanks road users for their pa ence during this me. For the latest traffic updates download the Live Traffic NSW App, visit livetraffic.com or call 132 701.

Tuross je y extensions

Work is underway to deliver on an elec on promise made in 2019 by Warren Mundine who commi ed the Liberal Government to installing a floa ng pontoon je y at Tuross Head. Three years later and a er much paper work two pylons have been driven 2 meters into solid rock. The drilling equipment and crane have now been removed with work to con nue on repairs to the exis ng je y before the pontoons and bridge are installed.

The build up in road sign campaign posters has seen the community protest to the Eurobodalla Council asking why they don't act. Ini al phone calls to the Australian Electoral office by members of the public revealed that they were not the authority to remove the trees and to contact Council. The General Manager has now, through delega on, responded to enquiries rela ng to elec on material saying "Council wrote to all candidates on 28 April 2022, explaining the reasons why electoral signage could not be placed on Council land. The le er also stated that if electoral signage was erected prior to the le er could the signs be removed. "Council staff removed the majority of electoral signage across the Shire on Wednesday 11 May 2022 with the remaining signage to be removed by Monday 16 May 2022. Rangers will remove any electoral signage they see whilst conduc ng their normal du es or from any complaints they receive. Poli cal par es can phone Council to arrange collec on of electoral signage". To help Council rangers in their quest for corflutes nailed to trees ring 44741000 Alterna vely you could load the SNAP, SEND, SOLVE App to your phone and lodge your sign complaint that way such as was done with this one in Malua Bay (right). Let’s see how many remain up a er the sweep, and a er the elec on.

Community Exci ng news about the Narooma Visitor Informa on Centre

Sally from Southbound Escapes says, "We are privileged and delighted to advise that Southbound Escapes is moving from its retail premises to the Narooma Visitor Informa on Centre". "From Friday July 1st, we will be providing both visitors and locals with informa on on the best things to do and see in the area, and renewed access to the Lighthouse Museum. "Southbound Escapes will con nue to provide its e-bike hire, bike hire, tours, accommoda on and pop-up picnics & events from its new home. If you would like more informa on please contact Sally at sally@southboundescapes.com Lei Parker, Editor of the Beagle and owner of Eurobodalla's comprehensive tourism website South Coast Travel Guide extended his congratula ons on the ini a ve that will restore a vital Visitor Informa on Centre to the town that will serve to promote local a rac ons, businesses and the wider region. "Eurobodalla Council, under the term of Innes and Dale, to advice from consultants that Visitor Informa on Centres were expensive, poorly frequented and not worth suppor ng saying instead that tourism marke ng effort should be directed where the "fish are bi ng" being Instagram and Facebook. This advice saw the closure of the incredibly successful Narooma Visitor Centre that was run by volunteers, leaving the building vacant for the past two years. While the Narooma Visitor Centre building and Lighthouse Museum are owned by the Crown and can't be sold the Batemans Bay Informa on Centre recently was sold for $1.55 million with the proceeds des ned to help cover the first year's running cost o the new pool opposite”.