We are so fortunate to live in a rural area and to have the health facilities we have access to on a daily basis and to receive expert and dedicated treatment and care.

People power will ensure we will win this battle [for Bourke Street Health Serviec] and it is to be hoped that government departments will learn a lesson from the debacle that SNSWLHD has created.

It will be wonderful to have a new hospital and as old as our present hospital might be, it is the dedicated doctors, nurses and staff who are the backbone of our hospital that is the envy of many other hospitals.

I write in response to your story of February 6 (Compton reaches out, page 1) in which a clearly confused and confusing local Australian Labor Party president, Jason Shepherd, asserts I should be supporting the Southern NSW Local Health District and lead on community consultation.

It might surprise those in union and ALP circles to know my job is to support the community of Goulburn and better health care, not a local bureaucracy.

I consult with the community all the time, which is why I am able to support the community’s wish to keep Bourke Street open. I will continue to lobby the Department of Health and LHD to ensure Bourke Street Health Centre remains open until the hospital redevelopment is finished. I am confident that so long as there is a Coalition government in Macquarie Street, this will happen.

Of course, if Labor were in government, who knows what would happen? We all know the complete disregard they had for regional communities the last time they were in power, when, for 16 years, they failed to invest in upgrading our hospital.

Eleven days ago a lovely fluffy grey cat arrived at my house. It was skinny and thirsty. I gave it water and one slice of sandwich meat and called the ‘Companion Animal Facility’ aka the pound.

Apparently it is against the law for them to pick up stray, starving cats, so we put the cat in a bucket with a lid and drove it over to the facility. It turns out it is also against the law for them to shelter a cat: “Try the RSPCA". The RSPCA is a volunteer organisation with no physical facility so they cannot pick up or shelter the cat: “Contact the pound". We let the cat go and went away for 10 days for work.

We got back last night. The cat spent the night on the veranda meowing. It is even skinnier (which I didn't think was possible) and has a wound on its side. The vet won't take it: “We are not allowed to put it down and we don't know who the owners are". The pound won't take it – see above. The RSPCA won't take it – see above.

The owners are obviously not taking care of it. This cat is going to starve to death, a slow and painful way to die. There is nothing I can do to prevent it. There are supposed to be laws in NSW to protect animals from human cruelty. This lovely cat has either been abandoned or lost. The owner's negligence in their care of the cat by not microchipping it is leading to the death of this cat. The council's refusal to collect and then rehome or put down this cat is causing the slow painful death of this cat. The RSPCA is doing nothing to protect this cat from cruelty.

Prevention of this scenario repeating in the future is simple:

(1) Owners: Microchip your pets. Lost animals can be returned, roaming animals can be differentiated from strays. Yes, you want your cat to be able to roam, but you also want your pet to come home again if it is lost or injured.

(2) Council: Rehome or putdown strays. Any animal not microchipped should be classified as stray. It is at risk of starvation and deserves protection from a slow painful death. If a cat or dog is causing a nuisance or is looking unwell, the pound should be allowed to pick up the animal and assess whether it needs to be returned to the owner or protected. Owners that want their pets would realise that the council is serious about animal welfare and begin microchipping their pets.

(3) Citizens: If you are concerned about an animal, contact the pound. If you get stonewalled as I did, complain to the council or write another letter to the editor. Of course, you might not care about a cat. Just remember that it is well documented that how a community looks after its animals is a reflection of how it looks after its children, women and vulnerable members. What kind of community do you want to live in?

Let's show the world that Goulburn cares.

As rain continues to lash parts of NSW, Legal Aid NSW wants tenants and homeowners alike to understand their rights if extreme weather forces them from their properties. We often hear of people whose insurance promises them temporary accommodation if their homes are damaged, but who end up sleeping on friends’ couches because they don’t realise what they are entitled to; and renters might think they have to keep paying full rent even if they can’t stay in their weather-damaged properties, which is not true.

If you have been affected by extreme weather, you can get free legal help. Call LawAccess NSW on 1300 888 529.