We faced an enormous task as the fire hit our southern boundary at approx 3pm.

We were well prepared to defend because of weeks of preparation but underestimated the mental preparedness needed.

We had been through fires before but didn't expect it to go pitch black and the noise was incredible.

We saved our home but not without injury.

Looking at our burnt out property, walking in the National Park that adjoins our boundary, seeing the utter devastion, disposing of the dead, wombats, kangaroos, birds, possums is an ongoing reminder of what we've been through.

Driving past the burnt out fire truck and homes destroyed on our road, I feel lucky to have survived the ordeal, it helps me to cope knowing that there are so many people worse off than us.

The hardest thing by far is trying to get through all the red tape to access help that is supposed to be there.

I spend hours on the phone waiting to talk to people, I send off paperwork, I ring to ask how things are going only to be told they need more.

I hope things get easier, I pray it's not this hard for people who have lost everything.

The ongoing drought in the country and the disastrous bushfires along the coast have shown yet again that the community can not rely on politicians any more to tackle the many serious problems facing us, on the local, state and federal level.

We need to find effective ways to resolve the profound conflict between economic growth and environmental sustainability which we are all constantly subjected to, and learn to overcome the ambivalence in our social and economic behaviour.

There is a widespread misconception that has been firmly put to bed over the last few months.

Many people from your area if asked would have responded that they lived in a city, town, or village within Shoalhaven.

The actions, generosity and behaviour of countless people from the area prove otherwise.

They live in communities. Interconnected and interwoven communities. A community has so much more strength and power to prevail than a town or whatever descriptive term is used ever could.

Goodbye Bridget.

No excuses or apologies - just meaningless words that "ministerial discretion is essential to democracy".

Well our " democratic" sports club has just spent three days volunteering in the hot and humid heat to raise the miserly amount of money required to help keep a community sporting facility viable.

No amount of sausage sizzling, toilet cleaning, garbage collection, sandwich making, canteen serving and grass mowing can dampen our little democracy.

But we would expect a fair go when it comes to grant allocation - even in "safe" Labor seats.

Typically Scomo announces your departure with words that praise your past efforts and without apologies for your "discretionary" rorting.

What our political system needs is an impeachment process... we have enough verbal evidence to impeach a lot of them.

Alas we must suffer these inept fools a lot longer.