A Letter to The Premier
I am writing to you as a Bellingen Shire Councillor, former Mayor, Environmental Scientist and Geography Teacher who has been involved in the campaign for the Great Koala National Park (GKNP) for the last 10 years. It’s been nearly two and a half years since the state election were the GKNP was promised to the people of NSW if Labor won. Yet we continue to see the systematic destruction of the large tracts of the biodiverse, rich forests contained within the boundaries of the proposed GKNP. The industrial logging of these precious forests provides very little benefit to the people of NSW and costs the taxpayer around 19 million dollars a year for it to continue. We know the GKNP concept will bring an economic boom to this region and will help our endangered species have a better chance of survival. In addition, these intact forests will protect us from the worsening impacts of climate charged fires, floods, droughts and storms. The increase in weather extremes in Australia and around the globe demonstrates that we are now in worsening climate heating phase and we need to change our relationship to our natural assets and the ecosystems services they provide. The days of industrial logging of our diminishing forest estate needs to stop and we need to listen to the global scientific consensus around how to manage our forests for the future. I implore you to implement the full 176,000ha assessment area of the GKNP and leave a legacy that will live well beyond your time as Premier of NSW.
Regards
Dominic King
Salvos Homelessness Week Letter to the Editor
August 4-10 marks Homelessness Week in Australia – a time to take a moment to think about those in our community who are facing some of the most challenging circumstances and realise that it may be affecting people that we don’t expect.
The Salvation Army is one of the largest providers of homelessness services in the country, and in our over 140-year history in Australia, we have seen it all.
We support over 8,000 people every month across Australia who are experiencing homelessness, but what can sometimes shock me more than these numbers is the individual stories behind each person that reaches out to us for help.
We have seen people reach out to our homelessness services who have been donors to the Salvos in the past. We have seen people who are perceivably “well off”, but due to one unforeseen personal crisis like a family member falling ill, they have slipped into homelessness.
Recently, we have started to see increased numbers of women and children reaching out to us. In fact, one in seven people who reached out to us for homelessness support this year have been children under 14. This breaks our hearts.
Homelessness isn’t just sleeping rough on the streets. It manifests in a number of ways, like couch surfing, staying in emergency accommodation or sleeping in your car. In a recent survey of people who reached out to the Salvos for financial support, one in five (19%) had couch surfed or lived in their car at some point in the past 12 months.
That is why, this Homelessness Week, we want to shine a light on what homelessness really looks like in Australia. At the Salvos, we want to encourage people to reach out to their friends and family, notice the signs, and know where to go if you or someone you know is experiencing homelessness.
And where can you go? The Salvos are a great place to start. The Salvation Army are here for those experiencing hardship, including those at risk of or currently experiencing homelessness. We don’t judge and don’t discriminate. It has been our privilege to come alongside Aussies in their time of need for the past 140 years, and we look forward to doing so in the future.
If you or someone you know needs support from The Salvation Army, please visit salvationarmy.org.au
Commissioner Mark Campbell
The Salvation Army
GREAT IDEA ‘VERGE GARDENS’
In response to the wonderful Council initiative of Bellingen property owners being offered the opportunity to create gardens on the nature strips, let me suggest an additional idea! Google ‘ Urban foraging NZ ‘, this is a wonderful initiative throughout New Zealand , encouraging Councils & local government to plant fruit & nut trees along country lanes & roads, as well as parks, available to everyone to forage for fresh produce for FREE! This is certainly not a new idea, this has been a practice throughout Europe for many years, and UK citizens have been foraging for fruit, nuts & berries on a regular basis! As long as we avoid toxic chemical sprays, this would be a wonderful help for families struggling with the high cost of fresh fruit and ensure a healthy addition for the diet of our children!
Z.KOENIGSEDER
Pool Get Together
We are a group of local Swimmers inviting anyone with an interest in the reopening of Bellingen and Dorrigo Pools to join a Get Together on Saturday 16th August at 10am at the end of Church Street near No 5. (Shelter available if raining)
We have also welcomed the interest of Community Leisure Aquatics the new sponsor for Bellingen and Dorrigo Pools until 2030 in joining us on Sat 16th August.
Councillors, the Mayor and Council Staff have also been invited.
We need to share information because there are many opportunities to be gained through our sponsors running Macksville, Bellingen and Dorrigo Pools.
There is a need for all of us to become properly informed about start dates for Bellingen Pool.
Representation from users between Council and Community Aquatics from Swimmers is a vital issue as there is currently no voice for users.
Pool users need to know about the current condition of Pool 25/26 and the state of equipment, and learn about what improvements have been prioritised.
We will discuss what we as the Community can do to help work between Council, Community Aquatics and Swimmers to take every opportunity for our swimmers across the region and achieve
safe and affordable access to Bellingen and Dorrigo Pools for all age groups.
Caroline Joseph
Upgraded tennis courts to be officially opened
The recently upgraded Bellingen Park tennis courts are to be officially opened by the Mayor of Bellingen Shire Council, Councillor Steve Allan, on Sunday 17 August starting at 10 am. The courts are operated and maintained by Bellingen Park Tennis Club, which has been in existence since 1927. The club is a vibrant part of the Bellingen community and has more than 200 members of all ages. The last previous major investment in the facility was the installation of the synthetic artificial grass surface in 2006. Over $220,000 has been invested over the last six months in two parts.
Part one, completed in December 2024, involved upgrading the lighting and access with the replacement of the obsolete and power-hungry halogen lights, with new energy efficient LED lights, and automation system. Not only are the new lights more efficient, but the quality of light is also a significant improvement. The court automation has enabled online booking of the courts for use both during the day and night. These upgrades cost $68,000 and were funded by a NSW Government Local Small Commitment Allocation Grant supported by Bellingen Shire Council.
The second part of the upgrades, completed in July 2025, was the installation of a new sand filled artificial grass surface, new net posts and nets for Courts 1-3. These upgrades cost $155,000 and were fully funded by the Bellingen Park Tennis Club. The ability of the Bellingen Park Tennis Club to finance the court resurfacing is testament to the dedication and commitment of the members over many years.
Anyone wishing to take advantage of the excellent facilities now on offer, or to become a member, then visit https://play.tennis.com.au/bellingenparktennisclub.
Steven Salvestro
LOT 1 PROTECTION GROUP
“The attendance of the Waterfall Way Community Land Trust group at the recent SustainaBellingen event gets a gold medal for hypocrisy. Their proposal to clear Lot 1 Ferry Street Urunga for affordable housing is about as far from sustainable as you can get.
It means the destruction of dozens of mature trees, some being magnificent towering eucalypts, which, together with a healthy understorey, provide home and habitat for numerous small native animals and birds.
Lot 1 has also long been used by locals and passers-by as a little de-facto bush park, it’s peaceful presence providing the surrounding neighbourhood with much of it’s green and leafy charm, making it one of Urunga’s most delightful areas in which to live; and not just for lucky current residents, but for generations to come.
To destroy all this in the name of affordable housing is not a solution – it is an act of vandalism: real solutions benefit all people, not force some to suffer for the sake of a few.
Support for a good cause doesn’t give license for deplorable deeds – WWCLT’s proposal is unworthy of Bellingen Shire, and must be stopped.
Yours Sincerely,
Peter Dingle.”