We have relocated! A run for birds NRMA office to close

The closure of the Kiama NRMA office at the end of the month will mean locals wishing to renew their insurance policies will need to travel to Shellharbour or use NRMA’s online services.

Along with Kiama, the Wollongong office is closing at the same time, leaving only Nowra, Shellharbour and Woonona branches as the only offices in the region.

Dr

Dr Jonathan Bala

Dr Jacqueline Wong

Dr Abdel Mohamed

Dr Farjana Ahmed

Kiama’s Alexander Bezzina, 26, is attempting to run the entire length of New Zealand to raise money for its birds.

NZ has the 5th highest proportion of globally threatened bird species in the world, with 29 per cent threatened with extinction.

Alex says he’s “Just a Hobbit running across Middle Earth to save Aotearoa’s birds" – just a hobbit, not only because he’s a massive Lord of the Rings fan running across ‘Middle Earth’, but because a friend once told him he looked all hairy like one.

This ‘losthobbit1’ [his Instagram name] aims to raise $30,000 for the NZ wildlife charity Forest and Bird.

In eight weeks of running since February 1, Alex has raised nearly $15,000.

At last count, on Day 46, he was close to Auckland having covered 2,175km with just 825km to go. The going is wet and muddy and mentally tough.

Mum, Sue Bezzina, says the family are utterly in awe of his determination to run the 3,000km Te Araroa Trail and his commitment to raise awareness of the plight of NZ birds.

His dad Andrew is his support team, packing him lunch, stocking his snacks, washing his clothes and being there at the end of the day with some pasta (the Samwise to Alex’s Frodo).

“When I’m really struggling, he’ll usually walk a km or two with me. He’s incredible and I’m so lucky to have him with me.” www.thelosthobbit.run

Alex, now living in Brisbane, is an environmental scientist who did his Masters research on a sub-species of the Kiwi. He chose to support Forest and Bird because it is NZ’s leading independent conservation organisation, partnered with Birdlife International.

by Perrie Croshaw

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March 31 March 31 - April 2 - April 2

"Over the past few years, we've seen a significant decline in people visiting our NRMA Insurance branches as customers increasingly prefer to contact us online or over the phone," an NRMA Insurance spokesperson said.

"Unfortunately, we've had to make the difficult decision to close certain branches but NRMA Insurance will continue to have more than 60 branches across the state."

Jamberoo resident Bryan Fuller says every time he has called or visited the Kiama branch, it’s been busy.

“Every time I go into the store it’s normally a 10 minute wait in line and if you ring up, they are often too busy to take your call there and then because they are busy with other customers,” Bryan says.

“It doesn’t make sense when they say it’s not busy because they are.”

Bryan, who often visits the branch to pay his accounts or get advice on insurance, has trouble using NRMA’s online services.

“They [Kiama branch staff] are always helpful. They sympathise with you and if you have a problem, they will do their best to fix it and normally they do,” he says.

“That’s the difference between talking to someone and trying to do it online. And when you fail there, it normally takes you three hours on the phone.”

The nearest branch for locals will be located inside the Shellharbour Stockland Mall.

“It sounds as though it’s not far away but it is quite a long way away and it’s in the big complex which means the parking is not as convenient as Kiama,” Bryan says. “People I have spoken to have said if they shut it, they will drop their membership and shift their insurance. I will certainly be tempted myself and I’ve been a member of the NRMA more than 50 years.”

According to the NRMA Insurance spokesperson, NRMA will issue a letter to customers who have visited the branch in the last 12 months to notify them where their nearest branch is and how to use their online services.

NRMA roadside services are not impacted by the changes.

by Cassandra Zaucer

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