"Here on the Coffs Coast we are lucky to have friendly streets and a thriving community"? I never cease to be amazed at the powers of self-delusion of estate agents.

Have you never been for a walk through Toormina or the Coffs CBD after dark? Have you not noticed that we have a third-world economy based on tourism, palliative care, and urban sprawl (plus a bit of cottage-industry methamphethamine production)? Or that any young person who plans to do more with their lives than make coffee, pour beer, take bets, sourly announce "Lunch is finished. We can do ya coffee and cake", build crappy pre-fab brick-veneer shacks two to a flood-prone quarter acre on concrete slabs ringed by Colorbond, or change the nappies of the demented, should get the hell out and never look back?

Yes, we have some lovely beaches - which "key stakeholders" are plotting to comprehensively defoliate in order to improve their ocean views (and property values - good news for estate agents). And yes... no, hang on, that's it; I'm out of good things to say about the Coffs Coast.

We could brighten our community by fixing these problems, not pretending they don't exist.