Protest justified
I would like to protest against the approved development for Ozy Homes to raze the unburnt forest in Manyana, purchased by them years ago, prior to the growing concern for conservation of forest areas and habits.
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In light of the recent bushfires and global impacts of climate change, the recent approval for this development by Shoalhaven Council and Rob Stoke's NSW Planning and Public Spacing department, beggars belief.
One can only assume that the community of Manyana, while in the midst of COVID 19 lockdown, has been preoccupied with their own health and safety to have noticed the media release of the Shoalhaven City Council's consultative opportunities for effective two-way discussion about the Ozy Homes proposal.
Or, indeed, if there was any opportunity provided to the Manyana community for consultation about the proposed development.
It seems to me that both assumptions could be proven to be valid, given the high level of protest, concern and despair from the Manyana people, others in the Shoalhaven region and fellow Australians living beyond New South Wales.
If the minister, Rob Stokes and his department, along with Shoalhaven City Council, do not want to appear as money grabbing entities risking communities and their environments at the expense of embellishing their CV 's, then they would do well to remember that they are there to listen to and serve the people through open, interactive dialogue.
D. Buffier, Mollymook Beach
Anti-vaxxer selfishness
With the world in seeming economic ruins because of a lack of a vaccine for COVID-19, the idea that anti-vaxxers, and in particular elite sports professionals, can refuse a flu vaccination on the grounds that they "wish to control what goes into their bodies" is the ignorant, arrogant statement of the sports privileged.
Try offering that consolation to the residents and staff at Newmarch, the passengers of various cruise ships, and the millions who have lost their jobs or lives, simply because there is no vaccine for COVID-19 and no matter how much they might wish it, had no control over the virus that went into their bodies.
Obviously these guys have never had to bury their babies, and with economic development set back a decade in the world's poorer countries, the manifest privilege is even more astonishing.
These guys should be sent off the field and sent home, with no apology and no compensation. They should spend time contemplating just how privileged the sports world that they live in is made possible because of the existence of widespread effective vaccination programs amongst not only their fans and supporters but the general population, and the extent to which their sport is even made possible because of general vaccination programs. What sort of world do anti-vaxxers want us to live in? A world of permanent lockdown with exemptions for the sports privileged? Polio, anyone?
P. Woof, Mollymook
Send me your stamps
In these restrictive times one needs to turn to indoor hobbies and pastimes to while away time usefully. I collect Australian, Great Britain, NZ and Malta stamps and I write to ask if any of your readers/local businesses and companies and so on have unwanted used stamps of these countries.
It would be greatly appreciated if you would publish my request in your local and regional newspapers. Any excess stamps received will be used for charitable organisations and local philatelic society. Thank you for your consideration and I wish everybody well at this very difficult time.