New surfing reserve

By Jo Kennett

CABARITA BEACH has joined a network of prestigious surf breaks by being declared a Regional Surfing Reserve at a ceremony on Saturday, March 18, during the Surf for Sanity event.

National Surfing Reserves Board Chair

Brad Whittaker joined Mayor Chris Cherry and Councillor Nola Firth in dedicating Bogangar/Cabarita Beach a Regional Surfing Reserve of New South Wales.

Brad Whittaker said Cabarita is a “fantastic surfing community.”

“I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate today than sharing it with this great community,” he said.

“Thank you very much for the hard work in getting recognised in the National Surfing Reserve movement.”

Chair of Bogangar Cabarita Beach Surfing Reserve, Kerrie Foxwell Norton, said it had taken six years to put it all together.

“It’s great to be having it with the Surf for Sanity competition as this is our community and it’s about surfing and surfers,” Kerrie told The Weekly.

“The motto of surfing reserves to share, respect and preserve are things we can extend to each other, to share and respect each other.

“Although it is largely symbolic, it does give us a seat at the table at potential developments.

“There are a lot of changes and population growth in our little village and this is a reminder to those who come along now and in the future that this is a special place and to share, protect and preserve it.”

Cabarita Boardriders’ Chicka King said he loved to share the stoke in the surf.

“I got involved to protect what we have in this beautiful environment so it will be here for all these little kids in front of us, so it will be here for them and they can share the same stoke that we have to being able to live and surf in such a beautiful place,” he said.

Mayor Chris Cherry said one of the three criteria to becoming a Regional Surfing Reserve was that it had to have a reasonable break.

“The national and international surfing contests we have here really demonstrate just how good and special this break is,” she said.

“The public also had to be supportive of it and protective and recognise it as a great surfing beach. There is such a strong history of locals wanting to protect this beach.

“The last criteria was to demonstrate that it’s been used for surfing for a long time, and it has been very well used for as long as anyone can remember.

“Sometimes it’s hard to share because it’s such an incredibly well-loved area. It’s been fantastic how locals say that it is here to share and that’s fantastic because it’s not always easy to do.

“The Cabarita community has stood so strong over many years and Kerrie has been working for many years to try to protect what you have here and it’s wonderful that the community recognises that what you have here is something really special.

“I’d like to congratulate you from Council that you work so hard to protect it and Council will keep that in mind when we are considering development applications that come to us.

“We will really try to back up the community’s desire to keep this the special place it is.”

Letter of the Week

Congratulations Ron Nuttall

You have won a double pass* to the film of your choice

Cost of living

I commend Tweed Valley Weekly for providing a platform for political candidates to address important issues.

Cost of living will be front of mind for many voters on Saturday.

Left-leaning candidates blame big business (privatisation and profits) rather than big government for our rampant inflation, but it was the draconian lockdowns and lockouts that forced the federal funding that fuelled subsequent inflation and hence interest rate hikes. After wanting JobKeeper to continue even longer, Labor laments inheriting a trillion-dollar debt that it helped to create. Lockouts also contributed to an inflationary shortage of goods and migrant workers.

Big governments made matters worse by increasing the cost of energy and thus of producing and transporting everything. Power prices will increase another 20 percent in July (25 percent in South Australia) thanks to mandated weather-dependent sources that greatly increase the cost of dispatchable (gas-fired) power. The war in Ukraine pushed gas prices higher, but the spot price has fallen since August to below the pre-war price. The reason renewable electricity isn’t cheap is that it requires a sophisticated grid and very expensive back-up utilities sitting idle until the fickle wind fails. Labor’s legislated price cap on coal and gas last December has done nothing except discourage further investment and thus decrease supply and increase prices down the track.

The Greens want to immediately increase the state’s annual education cost by fifteen percent while killing the coal cash cow which funds that amount ($3.5 billion) annually. Savvy voters know that big-spending market-manipulating governments only increase our taxes and cost of living.

D Weston Allen, Cudgen

Daylight savings drags on

And so it drags on. Well, so-called ‘daylight saving’ of course.

Why Solar Owners are Fuming

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Unless you have solar batteries you are facing serious increases in energy costs. 888 Solar Tek have installed hundreds of solar battery systems in the Northern Rivers in the last 8 years and can help you with great deals on the most reliable and long lasting solar batteries in Australia. Get a Hybrid inverter and 4.8 kWh battery installed for as low as $7,888.

At 6am — lights on — still dark. Totally stupid and forcing one’s bodyclock to want to stay asleep, not being able to ‘get going’ easily for the day.

The extended two months is just so very wrong and there were thousands of people who petitioned the NSW government to at least delete those two months that make life harder.

The body clock, or circadian rhythm, reacts to light, helping people to wake easy to have time to easily prepare for their day.

The parliamentary discussion to keep the two extra months begs the question: “Did they really care or understand?”

I opt for the did not really care and as for ‘understanding’, well that was certainly out the window.

Jillian Spring, Billinudgel

Speed reductions not the answer

Reducing speed is an easy reaction, but as you ask, “Will it reduce accidents and save lives?”

Having lived on Tomewin Road for over 30 years (one of the six to be reduced yet again, and I gather all the side roads up Dungay are all 60km zones too now), I cannot say I have seen an increase in serious accidents or fatalities which warrants this, either the first time or now.

Country driving is different, requires drivers to be watching and aware of the roads, current conditions, surrounds and wildlife, and driving to suit conditions. Not watching our speedo continually so as not to be zapped by mobile speed cameras.

Most people drive sensibly, many of us are long-term residents who know the roads well. Those who race and hoon will continue to ignore the speed signs anyway. Equally, if you are not confident on country roads, go slower, take another route, or learn and become confident. We each need to take individual responsibility for our driving skills and the quality of our driving. If not, what’s next — Tomewin Road has gone from drive to suit conditions to 80km/h (even on straight roads through the cane fields) and to 60km/h — is 40km/h next?

For me, I am very sorry to see this.

I felt I lived in the country until now and loved our country roads in our valley. Now I feel I am living in the city with 60km zones and mobile speed cameras on our country roads, something I am not happy about. I am sure there are many others in the silent majority who share my sentiments.

Sarah Cobb, Murwillumbah

Time to cast your vote

I am concerned regarding the voting system in this divisive state election.

My background is Country and Liberal Parties, however, in this Tweed state election, we have multiple candidates to choose to vote for.

To keep the other parties, excluding the Nationals, giving preferences to Greens, Labor or the Animal Justice Party is where this Australian community has fallen down.

We have seen in federal, state and even local government elections seats changing hands due to preferential voting.

I wish to voice my opinion that if you want a Nationals candidate to win the seat of Tweed, just place a 1 on the ballot sheet and do not list any other number.

Geoff Provest is the person to lead our electorate into the next state government term of four years, in my opinion. He is honest, dedicated, speaks for his constituents and genuinely represents the Tweed openly in all matters and issues.

Leon Darmody, Banora Point

The best candidate dogs that have bred here.

All of the eight candidates standing for the seat of Lismore deserve respect for their active participation in our democratic processes. However, there is one candidate who is clearly the outstanding candidate. That candidate is Janelle Saffin, our current member.

The qualities that make Janelle Saffin the best candidate are her experience and her skills.

In regard to experience, Janelle Saffin has served distinguished terms in both the state and federal parliaments.

Reinforcing this actual legislative experience are her high level advocacy skills. Her advocacy for the people of this electorate has been characterised by commitment, knowledge and empathy.

The next four years in the Lismore electorate are going to be difficult, with the multiple challenges of flood recovery, housing shortages and costof-living pressures.

These are not challenges for someone who has to learn on the job.

We need the best person available. That person is Janelle Saffin.

Greg Church, Nobbys Creek

Save our precious koalas

I would like to thank Deputy Mayor Meredith Dennis for submitting a nomination about Clothiers Creek Road and koala deaths.

With our Team Koala volunteers being continually out in the public, whether it be at a stall at shopping centres or having stalls at fetes or markets, the general consensus being a large percentage of the population are feeling helpless when speaking about the plight of the koala.

Eungella Blessed to live here

Ron Nuttall,

According to my previous verbal responses it seems I waffle on with too many subjects in one letter. On reflection this criticism is justified.

I guess what I am trying to say is that worldwide, our future is not very rosy.

We are now making capable our defences against a preconceived aggressor. We as a Western ally are not aggressive, we do not seem to want to take over another country?

I think it is related to the need for more territory to facilitate the growing population worldwide? Also for dominance, a dictator needs to satisfy his greediness. We are facing issues, like the previous world wars, where an expansion is needed to expand their power.

My life has been a bit blessed in that I still live here, but we as earth citizens should look ahead and reflect on how we affect, local, state and federal governments . Be aware of fringe political movements that do not see a realistic picture, but push for an unreachable climate target. Hello considering the pollution in countries beyond our control.

Locally, control your weeds, love your wildlife — it is not out to kill you but is ravaged by our pets and the wild

The wildlife carers who have to deal with the results of picking up dead koalas on the side of the road is extremely distressing.

Many people feel strongly about the three koala deaths in the last couple of weeks, including a healthy female and its gorgeous baby.

This issue has been talked about for at least ten years and really it is time that something has to be done, and with urgency.

Team Koala has tried hard to conduct a very polite and respectful campaign. We have encouraged people to speak to their local councillor in a friendly and positive way, and all the interactions with Council have been in that way.

The councillors voted unanimously in support of Meredith Dennis’ nomination at the Council meeting, The community want a good outcome for everybody.

We do not think this issue in any way divides the community. To the contrary, people from all walks of life and backgrounds want something to be done urgently about Clothiers Creek Road. The koalas and other wildlife in the Cudgen Nature reserve deserve a fair go. The people who speed on this perilously dangerous road need to be educated about the consequences of doing this. I congratulate the councillors who recognise this. Let’s hope the Regional Roads Minister recognises it also.

Jenny Hayes, Team Koala