Shaggy Dog Comments...

Lismore lost a legend recently with the passing of Goonellabah resident Tadas 'Ted' Matulevicius. Ted was an all-too-rare letter writer to The Echo (he was the bloke who could say in two lines what it took others 500 words to articulate), but he was a familiar name on the letters page of The Sydney Morning Herald. Over 15 years, Ted had 200 letters published in the Herald.

In 1997, when he notched up a ton, he announced his 'retirement' from the letters page, but readers wrote in demanding he continue. He did with aplomb. One of his many useful observations followed plans to hunt and kill 'man-eating' shark.

"When sharks leave water to attack us on land, we'll have something to complain about," Ted wrote.

When his death was mentioned in a letter last Monday, it brought forth a major outpouring from readers of the Herald's letters page - and a handful paying tribute to Ted appeared in the centre of the page on Thursday (pictured). By Saturday, the SMH letters editor Helen Signy was moved to write "And still they pour in - the number of letters received after the death on February 28 of correspondent Ted Matulevicius is threatening to rival the 200 he had published."

She went on to tell Ted's story, courtesy of his friend AW Robertson. "Ted, a genius with electronics, arrived as an assisted migrant from Lithuania after the war and settled in Goonellabah when he married a local girl, Margaret Robinson. Despite only having limited English when he arrived, his pithy one-liners and acerbic wit have been admired by many readers."

Shaggy was a great fan too. Amidst the verbosity and pomposity of many letters, he was always a breath of fresh air. Our condolences to his friends and family.

Another milestone was passed last week when BBC broadcaster Alistair Cooke hung up the microphone for the last time. His weekly Letter from America began in 1946 and was broadcast on Sunday nights on ABC's Radio National (who now plan to rebroadcast earlier letters). He is 95 and suffered a bout of ill health recently.

It was the world's longest running speech radio program and with the words "Good Evening", Cooke would begin a 10-minute soliloquy on the US, portraying events of both everyday life and world significance to a global audience in the millions. This man is part of history and his observations were perceptive, wise, eloquent, witty and charming. In one of his final musings, on sport and the public's obsession with faster/longer/higher in preference to more intellectual pursuits, he detailed how he got new titanium golf clubs at age 88 "to match my kneecap".

Lismore Council held its last meeting before the election on Tuesday night. You'd think that with a field of 60 candidates putting their hand up for March 27, the gallery would be packed with wannabe councillors keen to sample a slice of the action. The reality is that just six turned up (not counting the councillors up for re-election) - including a couple of loyal Labor comrades who came to hear Cr Ken Gallen's farewell speech, then left before the meeting even started. There are 10 people keen to be mayor and lead the city, but only one of the newcomers was in the gallery - Labor's Jenny Dowell. You can't help wondering if the others have any idea what they're potentially getting into.

Those legendary hoofers from the Tip Top Tappers are heading to the region next week for Seniors Week with their two-hour variety show.

The first half features numbers from classic Broadway musicals like Chicago and Mame, while the second half features dances from around the world.

It's a fun show with skits, singers, tappers and clowns. The gals want you to come in national dress or your national colours.

You can catch them at the Bangalow Bowling Club next Wednesday, March 17, at 1.30pm, or Kyogle Bowling Club on Thursday, March 18, at 2pm.

Clean living Apex Club

Alstonville Apex Club members Bryce Clarke, Barry Clarke, Andrew Harris and Liz Bugden (pictured) did there bit on Clean Up Australia to keep things looking spick and span along the highway on the eastern entrance to the village. Their haul included lots of fast food wrappers, oil containers and clothes.

Everyone seemed braced for floods after Friday's rain - with the ironic exception of the people building the Lismore flood levee. When Shaggy dropped by on Saturday night, everything on the building site, including the portaloo, was floating around in the floodwaters.