In the late 1950s-early 1960s, fishing in upper Missabotti creek was frequently with a quarter stick of gelignite; a practice that no one would advocate today. On one such occasion I was stung by a bull rout (and I was in primary school), one of the most painful experiences of my life.

Chances of a a bull rout sting in upper Missabotti now - zero. Chances of even seeing a catfish, eel, tortoise or bass - zero. The catch from a quarter stick of gelignite now - a shower of stones.

The chance of another thousand houses on the Nambucca coastal strip drawing water from Missabotti - probably 100 per cent.

FROM way down south in Central Victoria where we suffer years of drought, I'm writing to Nambucca Shire Council with a cry for sanity.

Thousands of kilometres away, I often go into a reverie remembering the beautiful riverside ambience of Macksville, our local town from Taylor's Arm where my kids grew up, where we picnicked, demonstrated for nuclear disarmament, once crafted a giant spider's web in a tree for International Women's Day (weaving the web!), where the kids waited impatiently for me to come back from shopping in the Co-Op (not Woolworths), ate treats from Big Jim's, wandered into the river on our very first visit and got bitten by a bull rout (ah, the wildlife!).

But that first visit melted my heart.

There's nothing like the peace of a riverside, sitting under those ancient trees, nature's gift to stress.

Please do not wreck one beautiful thing in Macksville as so many charming individual things have already disappeared. I do come 'home' as much as I can. Please do not make we weep on my next return.

Paradise lost at Valla Beach

2019 Macksville Show ready to roll