Think about the sad state of Lake Albert, then ponder the photo on this page. Temora's Lake Centenary was as good as full when I visited last Monday. It was full when I called in on my way home from West Wyalong late last year.

It surprised me that Temora people weren't making greater use of this asset, but maybe I had my timing wrong.

I picnicked with grandchildren at lunchtime, their feet in the water. The picture you see here was Lake Centenary at 1pm, with few people at the swimming area and no boats on this great expanse of water.

No boats? Passes for access to the boat launch area are available from the Caltex Service Station in Hoskins Street, Temora. A day pass costs $15, so maybe Temora should spread the word.

Last Monday was a scorching hot day. The cool breeze across the lake made the picnic area very pleasant.

People began to arrive. Bathers set out their towels in shady places on the grassy "beach". They swam out and submerged themselves.

My youngest grandchild played contentedly on the nearby play equipment. A delightful place.

I could have taken a similar photo at Lake Jerilderie. The historic Jerilderie "steel wings" windmill - a tourist attraction in itself - pumps irrigation water from the nearby Billabong Creek to keep the lake full.

Why can small communities get it right, when in Wagga we have fiddled for so long?

If Jerilderie can pump water from Billabong Creek, why is pumping water from the Murrumbidgee to Lake Albert such a big deal?

We are talking about a community facility that serves not only Wagga's 60,000 people, but the wider community as well.

Environmental flows go down the river to support ducks in wetlands. Where is the commonsense in not allowing some water to be diverted via Lake Albert?

Aren't our fish, our ducks, pelicans and other water fowl in Lake Albert also deserving of conservation support?

When our family thought about building a house in Wagga, we considered one of the very last lake-fronting blocks in Eastlakes Drive. Forty years ago this block would have cost us only $25,000. We thought about traffic with small children, noise from the boats and passed up the opportunity.

I don't recall looking at the lake and thinking it looked empty, but then the 1970s and early 1980s had regular floods. However, I note looking at records that 1939 to 1949 and 1960 to 1970 had no floods. Long, drier periods are not something new.

If the lake has experienced drier times since records began, why haven't we been able to find money to provide a long-term solution?

I am well aware that state and federal government grants are necessary for this type of major work.

Let's look at the current NSW government and WWCC spending priorities. The urban bike network, used by very few, cost zillions of dollars.

Money to amuse a few cyclists? No worries! But an irrigation supplementation scheme for Lake Albert?

"I'm just making it clear that it is hard," Melinda Pavey said in July.

Water for Lake Albert would be a win-win for everyone.

The state government needs to show that it still looks after local voters who supported Liberal members for years. It just seems to me that the state government has lost interest in us since the Daryl Maguire saga unfolded.

Year-round reliability of water level for water sports enthusiasts would allow events to be organised that bring tourists and their money into Wagga.

While we're at it, why not hot mix the much-used walking track around the lake so that mothers with prams can have a smoother ride for their sleeping babies? Mothers vote too.

Our local Nationals MLC is Wes Fang. Melinda Pavey is a Nationals minister. Does Wes have any influence?

Let's impress on Melinda Pavey that it's not hard. The lake needs a solution now.