Dear Beagle Editor, As we all know there is a committed collector for anything and everything. It is therefore no surprise that there are collectors of patches and two of interest that caught my eye were the two Eurobodalla Shire Council Rangers patches for sale on the internet. Not so much of concern are the collectors of these patches as they are wide spread around the world and have a passion for their collections, especially so if the patch is unusual. Of concern though is the fact that these patches are for sale.
Where did they come from? Were they unpicked from a an old uniform to be onsold? What happens with worn out rangers clothing? What happens with worn out Council provided embroidered clothes that have the Council insignia? Kempsey Council, for example, requires that all patches and logos must be removed from used uniforms. As the uniforms are "assets" they need to be disposed of properly. As an asset the Eurobodalla Council ranger patches and eurobodalla hi-viz polar fleeces etc do not belong to a council employee and are therefore not private property that can be sold. So how did these patches that I stumbled on find themselves to the internet for sale? Could they be purchased and used for nefarious purposes. On the spot fines during school holidays on unsuspecting tourists? It has long been recognised by front line services such as Police, Fire and SES that failing to destroy old clothing is dangerous as unauthorised use of uniforms can damage the community’s trust. Seeing these patches for sale has damaged my trust. Name and address supplied and withheld
