Don't give away our beaches

As Australians we are very quick and generous whenever there is an emergency any where in the world.

However we seem remarkably slow to learn any lessons from these disasters.

Obviously we believe that these things would never happen here.

Devastation from the Tsunami around the Indian Ocean was worse in areas where development, tourism and aquaculture had been allowed to destroy the mangrove wetlands and the dunes.

Apparently laws which forbid development for 200m back from the beach front had been ignored, because vested interests had persuaded the government to override these laws.

Why do the residents on the Central Coast not realize that this is just what is happening here?

The Ettalong Memorial Club has amazingly been able to contribute $300 000 for consultants to devise a development plan for the forefront of the club, that is at Town Beach.

This includes a metre high wall, walkways going in and out of the dunes and viewing platforms.

The NSW Surf Life Saving Championships are to be held at Umina at the end of February.

This is of course good for the Central Coast, particularly the business fraternity but does this mean that the dunes can be ravaged and the vegetation removed?

As they are saying in India and Thailand, the laws must be enforced; the mangroves and dunes must be protected, for they protect the people and the towns.

Perhaps in the event of a disaster, our early warning system would prevent many lives being lost but it would do little for the hotels, clubs and businesses which have managed to overcome any rules or common sense and taken over our beaches and dunes.

Jared Diamond's latest book, "How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive", should be essential reading for all our councillors and their staff.

As he says, "there is no other planet to which we can turn for help or to which we can export our problems".

Don't let our Council give away our beaches or dunes.

Their top priority should be to protect our dunes, which in turn protect the Peninsula.

Surely beaches are almost sacred in Australia; they are for everyone not there just for the enrichment of private enterprise.

M Lund, Woy Woy Bay