You know, as volunteers with the Rural Fire Service, we serve simply because we want to help serve and protect our community and that includes the extended communities, not just of the Shoalhaven, or the state, but the entire country.

We believe that by volunteering we can make a difference and help to try and ensure that everyone gets to go home. As volunteers we do not seek appreciation or thanks, but when it comes to the incredible generosity and support that we have received from the community, it reminds us of our motives as volunteers and demonstrates that we can actually make a difference to the lives of the people we serve.

Thank you all!

This year started like no other with relentless fires and for me, personally, with the loss of my father, Alf Rowen.

I was bolstered by so many people with thoughtful words despite the fact that many were facing their own much bigger problems - some had just lost their own homes, and had nothing but the shirt on their back, yet they made the effort to call me anyway with comforting words

.I want to say a mighty thanks to everyone for the flowers, cards, texts, emails etc and also to all those who attended the funeral. It made me feel especially proud and lucky that Dad chose to live in this beautiful area with such friendly, supportive people.

A special thanks to the medical team who supported Alf, even while the fires were burning and threatening their own families, they all went above and beyond with personal visits and calls, in the most professional manner, but with a special personal touch as well and I can't thank you enough. Dr Tim Devlin and his team at Mollymook medical centre; Nigel and his team at Mollymook Pharmacy; the Palliative team of Dr Laura Pearce, Theresa, Saskia, Jude, Narelle, Cherith and Nikki. You are all awesome.The Rowen family would like to say a huge thank you for all the love and support you have shown us. It is most appreciated and we feel blessed to live in this wonderful community.

Thanks, from the bottom of our hearts. Glenn Rowen and family.

The latest proposal for Lake Conjola is apparently to spend many millions of scarce Shoalhaven ratepayers' money on building a permanent opening connecting the ocean to the Lake Conjola ICOLL.

This follows on the many millions already wasted in previous years by dredging various canals in the lake, only for natural weather systems to close them again, sometimes within weeks.

The ostensible wish behind the latest thought bubble is, apparently, to insulate the low lying residential areas of the town from future flooding.

"Beware what you wish for" is a useful phrase in this case. The Coastal Risk Australia website (coastalrisk.com.au) allows us to project forward so as to map where, in the coming decades, daily tidal flows will be flowing from the ocean into low lying coastal areas such as Lake Conjola.

For the low lying residents of Lake Conjola it is not good news. Many of the residences adjoining Lakes Entrance Road will be subject to these daily tidal movements and will of course, once a permanent opening the ocean is in place, no longer be protected by the current sand bar.

Climate sceptics might doubt these projections, but I personally would not bet my house on it. Nor, I suggest, should the residents of Lake Conjola.

A second expert opinion is urgently needed on this matter, before even more long term damage is done to this community.