Some ruining it for all
Whilst I'm more than happy to share space with our furry friends, I think irresponsible dog owners do a disservice to your cause - not collecting poo, not having your dog on lead or muzzled where necessary, taking your dog into national parks or other restricted areas.
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The care and consideration factor for others is almost nil.
Perhaps a ranger needs to issue spot fines and/or responsible owners could act as educator and police so your voices can be better heard and you get the result you seek.
M. Carr, Conjola Park
Fair go for dogs and owners
I see the usual tirade launched in the local press yet again regarding dogs' access to the beach. It seems the latest respondent is missing the point.
Dog owners are not necessarily asking for all-day access outside of school holidays but a sensible and fair time frame in which to take our pet.
In summer time 8am is the cutoff time in the morning and a lot of older people find it hard to get there so early as do people who work on a regular basis.
The evening time is also very restrictive, being the late start of 6pm.
Fair enough in the Christmas holidays when the beach is crowded until later in the day but as soon as the holidays finish by start of February there is hardly a soul in the leash free zone at Narrawallee.
Easter is the other busy time which may be considered the exception.
When daylight saving finishes it is dark by 6 pm and earlier as the month progresses. There is a whole month where it is not suitable in the evenings.
Why can't the time be adjusted in line with daylight saving hours then everyone knows where they stand ?
Even in summertime surely 4pm or 5 pm would be acceptable as it is in most other beaches. It has been my experience that dogs who have good regular exercise in a large area such as a beach or a park are much quieter and better behaved and rarely incessant barkers like the ones who don't get exercised and get bored.
I have also never seen any trouble with the dogs at this beach in relation to bothering other walkers or swimmers.
We are actually a very responsible group of dog walkers who love to see our pets socialising, running , and jumping in the water with such obvious "hour de vivre".
So let's have a fair go, instead of harping about the dogs all the time.
R. Vidgen
Milton.
Teaching from the heart
Teachers in remote schools are the unsung, unappreciated heroes of education. They do it tough everyday which is why they have a high burnout rate and why remote schools are so hard to staff. Decent housing and food are at a premium. All the services us city people enjoy are just a dream. So why do they do it? To make sure that underprivileged kids in these areas get a chance to achieve their dreams through education. This is teaching in its purest form because all these wonderful people teach from the heart. Remote schools are unique and they vary according to the cultural differences and living conditions in isolated areas. These schools need to be treated differently if they are to enjoy success. This is not to suggest standards and expectations should be lowered because on the contrary remote schools require the highest quality school leadership and teaching.
One of the biggest issues for the children and the communities is the short tenure of teachers. The optimum result would be for very experienced teachers coming towards the end of their careers to spend a minimum of three years in one of these schools. This would entail large incentives, housing, bonuses and regular paid trips back to their other homes.
F. Pearce, Bega