n Mower starts fire
Pambula-Merimbula brigade captain Peter Reynolds is urging people to take care while mowing after an incident at a property on Bald Hills Road, Pambula, on Sunday.
A landowner accidentally set alight grass clippings that had been caught up in the undercarriage of a ride-on lawn mower.
The Pambula Rural Fire Brigade was called to the scene and despite the fire burning out half an acre; it quickly had the fire under control.
“We were lucky the fire didn’t take hold and spread further as it was burning in the direction of a house,” Captain Reynolds said.
“It’s a timely reminder as to how easy fires can start and spread.
“It is extremely dry at the moment so people doing any work around the home should take precautions to prevent fire.”
n Tura Telstra tower
After two years of consultations, planning and overcoming objections, the proposed Next-G Telstra tower for Tura Beach is finally going ahead.
Work crews commenced construction of the tower, to be built on land located along Sapphire Coast Drive, on Monday.
It is good news for Tura Beach mobile phone users after being caught in a communications black hole for years.
The tower construction is expected to be complete within two weeks, with the commissioning process expected to take another fortnight.
Telstra commercial business manager Stephen Trump said it was a relief to finally give the construction crew the go ahead.
“The tower has been a long time coming,” he said.
“A lot of time was spent on the original proposal at Tura Beach, but after that was knocked back because of residents’ concerns, it has taken us a bit of time to find a new location and get the appropriate paper work done.
“But with that all said and done the time has come for construction to start.
“It will take up to five weeks for construction and the commissioning process to be complete.
“Residents will find they will be able to use their phones on certain days while the testing is done and not on other days.
“But once the tower has been signed off their mobile coverage will be complete.”
n SBS reception
Over recent weeks local resident Ian Battersby has been unable to receive SBS digital on his television and sought to have the problem fixed.
Mr Battersby is retired now but used to work for ABC television and said he has a very technical brain when it comes to this sort of thing.
“I lost SBS off my digital set top box and thought it must have just been a faulty box, but when one of my friends also had the same problem I thought it was a bit suspicious.,” he said.
Mr Battersby found three affected viewers to report the incident to SBS, which is required before they will conduct an investigation.
As a result he was then contacted by a technician who was in the area.
It was discovered that there was a fault in the SBS transmission and it might affect a number of people in the area.
“It has since been fixed and if people have lost their SBS reception they may need to do a rescan,” he said.
“A lot of people just think that they have never had SBS but in actual fact they may be able to get it,” he said.
Anyone after any further information can contact Mr Battersby on 6495 4878.
n Chipmill vigil
Conservationists will hold a vigil and log truck count at the chipmill corner south of Eden on Thursday.
The vigil is timed to coincide with the passing through the area of the Walk Against Woodchips by Keri James and her young daughter, Clover who are walking from Canberra to Hobart in a protest against woodchipping.
For more details contact: Harriett Swift 0414908997, 02 64923267
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