I would like to thank everyone involved while waiting for emergency services. Michelle and her son who talked to me, comforted me and held my hand. The bystander who called 000, those who made sure the accident site was safe.

I would like to thank the police, paramedics, the SES who looked after me and my husband.The staff at Moruya hospital were caring, compassionate, looking after me, my family, making sure they had somewhere to sleep.

Thanks to SAGE markets. I came home to a box filled with delicious food donated by the SAGE stall holders, delivered by Kylie.

We left the farm a week ago as bushfires we're approaching. The SES, RFS, police have done an amazing job, working endlessly to stop the fires. The house and sheds were saved. The neighbours are keeping an eye on the farm, while we wait to go home. Thank you to the community of Moruya, Termeil and Bawley Point for your kindness, help and compassion.

I know why we chose to live in this area.

My house, studio, workshop and shed of thirty years were all destroyed by the Currowan fire.

The day the fire started, I had just completed renovating the house which was on Old Coach Road above Termeil on Boyne Mountain. It is a strategic road in terms of the spread of fire. We had tried for three years to get the NSW Forestry Commission to protect the five dwellings on the ridge. We also said that once the fire got over our hill it would go to the sea and north to Tabourie. They did not protect us and it happened.

We evacuated. On December 3 it swept from the Clyde up our hill in a terrible crowning firestorm. It was too dangerous for fire crews and thankfully none were on the hill. Nothing was left.

It is true we were lucky to escape. Many have said that the loss of property is just stuff. A house is just a house. A house is more importantly a home; the place where our identities and sense of self are developed. What we have lost is the opportunity to live the life we chose.

In a heating climate the link between fire management and living near natural environments is of vital concern. The design of buildings to reflect this change is now more serious than ever. The Federal and State Governments must establish a much more interactive approach to this rapidly evolving change between fire and the way we live.

It is a rare occasion that a project as commonplace as a boat storage facility can tick so many boxes so comprehensively. The boat storage facility proposed for Barker Reserve at Burrill Lake is one such occasion.

Building this facility at the reserve will not only improve the amenity of the area for all users, it will also enrich the marine foreshore environment, improve public safety and enhance the health and wellbeing of a growing number of the Shoalhaven's sporting community who participate in recreational and competitive paddling on the lake.

Fund-raising activities by the paddling clubs and grants from the Australian Government will fund the project which is located on council-owned land. It will deliver all these benefits with no cost to the community or local council and minimal impact on the site or the estuarine lake environment.

The current practice of leaving larger boats on the foreshore at Barker Reserve is a less than ideal solution for both users of the reserve and paddlers, and in seeking to improve this situation, the paddlers began the process of identifying and securing a site to establish a storage facility as early as 2015.

An early option for the facility was to combine it with the King's Point ski club. Representatives of the paddling community approached the ski club on two occasions, and on two occasions were rejected. Ultimately, the ski club is not a viable option as it is a privately owned facility making it a complex, expensive and uncertain development possibility.

The paddlers also explored an additional site at the Lions Park at Burrill Lake but, quite correctly, Fisheries New South Wales prohibited this option, as launching the boats there would have a detrimental impact on protected reed beds.

After years of careful consideration by council and paddlers of all possible options, the Barker Reserve site was determined to be both the most appropriate site for the facility - in essence, a secure storage facility with a hose to wash down boats.

Approval for the facility is contingent upon a new playground to be built to Australian Standards, at no cost to the community.

The upgraded playground will be funded with contributions from paddlers and the Shoalhaven City Council and will be completed prior to commencement of any work on the storage facility.

The height of the proposed storage structure is below the existing tree line. This, and the planned location of the storage facility, preserves the vista to the lake.

Sea grass beds that are adjacent to where the paddlers currently leave boats on the foreshore will endure much less traffic, allowing for the opportunity for more plentiful marine life throughout the lake system.

We would love to welcome members of the Burrill Lake community and the wider Shoalhaven community to come and try this great sport and enjoy the benefits of it - fitness, friendship and wellbeing.

I am disgusted with the amount we will be charged to use the new hospital car park.

That doesn't give anyone a chance for a chat, not to mention people who are disabled. I think the government and whoever will be running this are making more profits for themselves and not for the people of this community.

As for the staff, why haven't they got a designated car park for themselves if what I read is correct 400 staff are only going to get 150 spaces.