Anyone reading the Daily Telegraph today would have discovered an interesting local-news article "Greens candidate for Bega Will Douglas in trouble for encouraging local students to protest" A Bega teacher — who is also the Greens candidate for the seat — is facing a departmental investigation after urging students to sign up for an activist-promoted “climate change strike” What is most concerning about this article is the timing. Early voting opened today and the article headlines are fairly inflamatory. "Green's candidate", "Facing investigation" ,"urging students" , "activist-promoted" But how would the Daily Telegraph have stumbled on this local news from downtown Moruya. The event they refer to was an invitation only Student Forum hosted by Youth Action held in Moruya last Thursday where Leanne Atkinson, Labor, Andrew Constance, Liberal and Will Douglas, Greens were invited to speak. Mr Douglas, a teacher at Moruya High, attended during his lunch hour to meet and speak with the students in his capacity as a Candidate and it is this event that the Daily Telegraph are referring to. But how could it be that the big metropolitan newspaper learnt, within 24 hours that the teacher was "facing investigation" unless that was leaked to them. And if so by whom? And where would the Daily Telegraph have secured, in such a trice, a recording/transcript quoting Mr Douglas word for word. " And please don't forget March 15 the climate strike - Bega Valley High School is the only high school so far that's registered so if there's something happening at your school will you please get online and register because there's a whole community out there wanting to support you guys, young people, in that strike." Will Douglas. The Youth Forum was recorded openly by two parties and both have advised the Beagle that neither party provided the Daily Telegraph with a copy. There is little doubt that the person who contacted the Daily Telegraph wished to create difficulty for the Greens candidate for the seat of Bega.
STUDENTS of Moruya High will be striking this Friday A letter to the Beagle from a Moruya High student (name withheld) asks: What about us ?
Children all over the world protest, to display their disappointment about the governments lack of action against climate change.
On the 15 of march thousands of students across the globe, including many from Moruya high will leave the classroom and make those in charge listen their demands on climate change. “We are doing this because nobody else is doing anything’’ said (name withheld) of year 8. At 1:35 the young protesters will be accompanied by concerned members of the community. Together they will walk down to the council chambers and present a letter with a list of important demands.
“It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment’’- Ansel Adams
As students we are all very concerned about what our future holds. The problem is that we don’t get to vote but we have to live with the consequences. The IPCC report states that “every bit of warming matters” and like it or not that includes you.
Written by (Name withheld) of year seven
