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Editorial What’s On …………….... 12 to 16 FIND ALL YOUR DAILY NEWS @ www.beagleweekly.com.au
Welcome to this week’s editorial, As most of you are aware it is na onal reconcilia on week. Reconcilia on in Australia usually comes with an Upper Case ‘R’ which promotes the meaning of “working to overcome the division (o en called "the gap") and inequality between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people”. But then there is the lower case ‘r’ of reconcilia on. To Chris ans the word reconcilia on means ‘to be at peace again’. And here we are, under a new government in week one and I am beginning to feel somewhat at peace again with what I see and hear.
For a start all the shou ng has stopped. The incessant screaming from the TV and radio, the bombardment of pamphlets and the insistence of robo-calls. We have been burdened by claims and counterclaims, where fac ons denounce each other and declare gloom and doom if they aren’t put in charge. For weeks the revela on of rising prices, the spiralling of costs of living, the blowout of electricity charges and the threat that our na onal security is at issue were all played out in the media at full volume. Day in Day out. But is seems to have stopped, for the minute and a new peace has descended. A quiet that enables us to have me to think through what we have been through and what lies ahead. It is now me to collate all the promises made to the electorates and the country as a whole. The promise of Big ‘R’ Reconcilia on, the release of the Tamil family back to Biloela, the improvements to health services. The list goes on and on. There were millions of dollars promised along with the countless commitments to improve, to engage, to consult, to include, and to be be er. I believe we can be be er and that it starts with redefining who we are. Australia is not a country of pulpit driven extremists bent on self serving nepo sm, blinkered to thinking that theirs’ is the only way, leaping onto ventures that benefit the few. As it turns out, from our elec on results, Australia has been reminded that it is a rich and wonderfully diverse country that is female, ethnic, teal, red, green, first na on, mul lingual, passionate, proud, caring, fair yet tolerant enough to allow minor groups to exist, have an opinion and, if they have something good to contribute, then join in at the big table.
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To use the Chris an defini on of small ‘r’ reconcilia on the path requires confession where one says sorry and promises to change their ways . The priest might then sets a task or suggests prayers to be said in order to achieve forgiveness. This is some mes called 'penance'. Finally comes absolu on, the release from the feeling of guilt. In this week of na onal reconcilia on lets celebrate Australia coming of age and hope that we can genuinely begin to say Sorry as a na on with a what now appears to be a genuine commitment for real reconcilia on between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. While we are at it we could also extend a hear elt apology to the Nadesalingam family and all the other refugees that we felt it was OK to treat so poorly. For what was done to these good people there will never be forgiveness or absolu on. May their punishers rot. The opportunity presents where we can begin to restore our na onal dignity and reset our moral compass and humanity. If we choose to Un l next—lei
Updated: Fri, 27 May 2022 6:34:34 PM AEST
As at 6:34 pm Friday May 27th the seat of Gilmore remains undecided with only 250 votes separa ng the two remaining candidates. Postal votes are s ll coming in so the count will con nue next week.
In the mean me the electorate holds its breath.
EcoCrews have hit the halfway point in Eurobodalla and the Bega Valley regions. The Crews have been working hard doing a wide range of different environmental ac vi es, learning new skills whilst working several sites across the region. Working closely with their Project Hosts: Eurobodalla Shire Council, Bega Valley Shire Council and SAGE Stepping Stone Farm, they have successfully completed Round 1 of EcoCrews and will begin Round 2 over the next couple of weeks. The Crews have, to date, exceeded all their environmental targets including ac vi es such as: • Plan ng 3,250 seedlings to revegetate a wildlife corridor in Coila, NSW, suppor ng koala habitat restora on • Environmental weeds manually removed and chemically treated across 14ha along coastal trails in Surf Beach, NSW • 20 ha of dune rehabilita on completed along Merimbula Main Beach, NSW including manual weed removal and chemical treatment and replan ng of na ve trees, shrubs, and grasses The Stepping Stone Farm Crew have also achieved competency across the curriculum, covering 63 different competencies from Key Learning Areas such as WHS, Organic Farming Principles, Irriga on and Harves ng and Storage. EcoCrews is funded by the NSW Bushfire Local Economic Recovery (BLERF) Fund.
Community OzFish And Tangaroa Blue Invite You To their Clean Up Workshop At Batemans Bay Marina
The community is invited to join OzFish And Tangaroa Blue at Batemans Bay Marina to conduct a quick clean-up and learn how to collect data on the rubbish we find to upload it to the Australian Marine Debris Ini a ve database. This database aims to iden fy li er sources and origins to inform future sourcepreven on solu ons. No prior experience is necessary, our friendly team leaders will teach you everything you need to know to collect data and submit it to the AMDI Database.
Volunteers need to wear sun protec on and enclosed shoes. Organisers ensure that all events are free from single-use plas c, so bring along your reusable water bo le. Spots are limited for this workshop, so register to avoid disappointment. h ps://ozfish.org.au/clean-up-educa on-day-at-batemans-bay-registra on-form/ If you are under 18, you must be accompanied by a supervising adult.
Na onal Sorry Day Bridge Walk in Batemans Bay
There was an excellent turnout for the Na onal Sorry Day Bridge Walk in Batemans Bay this week to pay respect to Australia's tradi onal owners, par cularly the Stolen Genera on.
Above: Today's march started at Korners Park on the north shore of the Clyde River at Surfside and made its way across the bridge to the Clyde River foreshore. Photo: ESC Friday 27th May marks the start of Na onal Reconcilia on Week too — a me for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconcilia on in Australia. The Yuin Country Explored documentary is a great place to start - you'll find it on Council's YouTube channel: h ps://youtu.be/u6ohFCDMDmE
Fire and Rescue NSW Sta on 217 Batemans Bay recently caught up with The Living Room’s chef, Miguel Maestre, who cooked up a storm to say thank you in the best way he knows how! Catch his visit and see what he made for them tonight at 7.30 on Channel 10. If you're unable to tune in, catch it on 10 Play on demand. Remember to keep looking when cooking, and find fire safety ps at: www.fire.nsw.gov.au/page.php?id=9200
Photo: Fire and Rescue NSW
Community
Rewiring Australia proposal backed 100% by 5 years of energy audits on the South Coast
Rewiring Australia has the goal of electrifying all our homes and cars, commencing with a pilot of three suburbs.
SHASA has been undertaking energy audits on the South Coast for the last 5 years. These energy audits have iden fied key ac ons that can be taken to save money and in some cases improve health outcomes for households.
Kathryn Maxwell, SHASA President said “in our visits to houses across the South Coast we have iden fied key ac ons people can take to achieve energy savings, including:
Upgrading older fridge/freezers (as they run 24/7) with a modern, modestly sized (up to 400 litre), energy efficient fridge/freezer that employs the less environmentally damaging R600 refrigerant. Upgrading gas* and electric cooktops to induc on. Upgrading wood heaters, gas heaters and inefficient electric heaters to reverse cycle air condi oning. Upgrading gas and electric hot water systems to hot water heat pumps. Where there is limited or no shading, installing roo op solar PV. Upgrading to an electric vehicle *Not only is gas ge ng more expensive but gas stoves can have significant adverse impacts on people's health. Gas cooking appliances directly expose people to their emissions, which can include formaldehyde, carbon monoxide and nitric oxides that can trigger asthma, coughing, wheezing and difficulty breathing, occasionally resul ng in hospitalisa on. They can also leak methane when not in use. (Washington Post 27 January 2022) “The main barrier to taking up these measures is the upfront cost. This is why SHASA is very excited about Saul Griffith’s Rewiring proposal for governments to run a trial of funding this transi on to all electric” said Kathryn Maxwell. “SHASA, like Rewiring Australia, are strong advocates of electrifying everything to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make huge energy savings. Just imagine the benefits of the average household making savings of $4,380 per year on energy and vehicle costs by 2030 and 2.370 direct and indirect jobs created from these savings and installa on work,'' said Kathryn Maxwell. Southcoast Health and Sustainability Alliance (SHASA) is a member of South East Climate Alliance - SECA represents 13 local community groups in South East NSW. www.iga.com.au/catalogue
Community A Long Road for Eurobodalla Photographers
A photographic journey that began with the 2019/20 bushfires was finally completed on May 19th, 2022 with the opening of our volunteer portrait exhibi on at Club Malua. The opening event med to coincide with volunteer week was opened by our new shire Mayor Mat Hatcher. Funded by a community bush fire recovery grant from the Eurobodalla council, twenty-one portraits of volunteers from the Eurobodalla shire were presented by ten photographers from the Eurobodalla Photographic Club. Originally intended for presenta on in 2021 the pandemic lock downs delayed the project by twelve months. Many thanks to the volunteers who stepped up to have their portraits taken and to the council for their assistance in organising the opening. Planned to close on 1st June, Club Malua has kindly allowed the exhibi on to remain on display in the Marquee un l 15th June. The Eurobodalla Photographic Club con nues to grow with 5 new members joining in May. Three of those new members also won awards in the monthly open compe on on their first a empt. The compe on was expertly Judged by Dan Crowley from the Shoalhaven Camera Club. Many thanks to Dan for taking the me to cri que our compe on entries. Following the presenta on of the compe on image cri ques, Beth Westra gave an informa ve talk on alterna ve ways to display and use images and to sell products using images. Beth covered a range of possibili es from photo-books to calendars, gree ng cards and wall art..
Changed traffic condi ons on the Princes Highway, Mogo
Motorists are advised of changed traffic condi ons from next week on the Princes Highway north of Bateman Street in Mogo. Transport for NSW will be resealing and resurfacing the Princes Highway in the area to improve the safety and resilience of the network.
Work will take place from 6:30am to 5pm from Tuesday 31 May to Friday 3 June, weather permi ng. Single lane closures, traffic control and a reduced speed limit of 40 km/h will be in place for the safety of workers and motorists. Access will be maintained for motorists travelling in both direc ons. Motorists are advised there may be an addi onal travel me of up to five minutes, to drive to the condi ons, and follow the direc ons of signs and traffic control. Transport for NSW thanks motorists 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.
community A Bushfire Recovery Story … Eurobodalla Rotary and Oldfields Sheds
Well, who would have thought a random call out of the blue from Rotary would turn out to be such a wonderful project of providing 105 garden sheds to bushfire affected residents across the Eurobodalla? It all started when Oldfields, yes, the paint brush people, generously donated the sheds and a desire to get the sheds to those most affected by the bushfires. Liverpool Rotarian Barry Hancock and his daughter Meegan Atkins setup the project of ge ng these sheds from Sydney to the homes of our residents. The sheds are prefabricated Colourbond Garden sheds that will be used to provide much needed dry shelter, especially over the winter months. Ideal for storing firewood, tools, pumps, machinery and anything else that needs to be kept dry. The 105 sheds have a value of $45,000. The logis cs for Batemans Bay Rotary Club was to coordinate the transport of the sheds from Oldfields, Sydney to storage in Batemans Bay. Then the task for the Narooma, Moruya and Batemans Bay Rotary Clubs was to distribute and deliver these sheds to Bushfire impacted clients as soon as was possible. The Eurobodalla Shire Council Bushfire Recovery Support Service funded the transport from Sydney and the storage of the sheds prior to distribu on. Their team contacted bushfire affected residents and offered the sheds as a dona on. So, just prior to Easter 7 tons of sheds on fourteen pallets arrived on a Ta am’s truck at Batemans Bay, Storage King. Easter Sunday morning was the first pickup, bright and early and smiles on faces, some Batemans Bay Rotary volunteers and wrangled family members spent the next four hours giving out 45 Garden sheds with an Easter egg to boot. Given the boxes containing the sheds weighted up to 85kg, several workers where needed to successfully sort and load each shed. Many very happy clients thanked Oldfields, Rotary and the Bushire Recovery Support team for their kindness. Over the next two weeks Rotarians from Moruya, Batemans Bay and Narooma delivered another 42 sheds to fire affected proper es in Nelligen, Currowan, Mogo, Jeremadra, Bimbimbie, Moruya, Nerrigunda, Cadgee and Corunna. The remaining sheds have now been transported to Bodalla for distribu on to fire affected residents in the area. On comple ng the deliveries, David Ashford, Rotary coordinator commented … “while many residents have started rebuilding, it is disappoin ng to see that many are s ll living in tents, caravans, lean-to’s or a recovery pod. The country has bounced back a er all the wet weather, but, unfortunately it will be many years before our community will be able to fully bounce back from the disaster. We really do appreciate that people from far and wide are s ll thinking and caring for our community and helping out where they can. Well done, Oldfields”!
Rotarians Chris Monahan, Steve Young and Phil Smith delivering sheds in Jeremadra President Nicole McDonald and her family loading sheds on Easter Sunday
At the recent mee ng of the History Forum of Batemans Bay University of the Third Age, members were pleased to be addressed by Patricia Ellis, Brinja Yuin Elder, twice published author, Dhurga language teacher and Cultural Advisor. The talk was held at Banksia Village Broulee and was well-a ended by members and Banksia residents. The audience heard about the local Aboriginal people, Trish’s early childhood in Moruya, tradi onal society, land management techniques, totems and local crea on stories. Trish then introduced us to neighbouring tribes and how they were able to peacefully resolve their differences, and heard some Dream me stories and their true meaning. Of par cular interest was the process of developing knowledge of her tradi onal language from 70 to 700 words. At the end of the talk the History Forum Tutor was able to hand Patricia a dona on from the group to support the Mogo Aboriginal Preschool. U3A Batemans Bay is the largest organisa on for seniors in the Shire, offering a variety of courses to keep our members ac ve in both mind and body. Courses are held in Batemans Bay, Malua Bay, Tomakin, Broulee and Moruya. The $40 new member fee enables members to par cipate in classes all year. Course details are available on our website www.bbay.u3anet.org.au. You can join online or contact our Membership Coordinator Maureen O’Brien, on 0419 586 072.
Get in quick for South Coast Community Colleges - RTO 6558 Provide First Aid Course’s. We have sessions running throughout the next upcoming months with limited availability! In Batemans Bay we have the follow sessions available: 8th of June 29th of June More soon to come!
This course is a Na onally Recognised Training course, that offers chances for you to gain new skills, new accredita ons and new chances at employment! HLTAID011 - Provide First Aid HLTAID009 - Provide Cardiopulmonary Resuscita on To find out more about these courses enquire with our admin team on 1300 722 223, email admin@southcoastcolleges.edu.au, visit our website www.southcoastcolleges.edu.au
Eurobodalla Photographic Club: Volunteers exhibi on | Malua Bay Thursday 19 May to Wednesday 1 June 2022
Where: Malua Bay Bowling Club, 40 Sylvan Street, Malua Bay Cost: Free Celebrate Volunteers Week by exploring this exhibi on of stunning portraits of some of Eurobodalla's wonderful volunteers. Volunteers are the backbone of our community services, providing support in areas ranging from bushfire recovery, youth cafes to hospital auxiliary. Read the stories of these people and be inspired by their energy.
