Letters To The Editor

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Questions

All summer, I ate my lunch in the cool shade under the memorial fig trees outside the Memorial Baths and watched the children in their colourful swimmers and pool toys arriving for an afternoon of exercise.

Last Sunday the Memorial Baths near the Lismore CBD closed before the swimming season is normally over. Lismore City Council decided to spend over $6 million removing the children's swim areas and shade and grass to build marshalling areas and extra lanes for lap swimmers. What other facilities will be provided?

What exactly are the plans for the new pool facility? Does anybody know the details? Lismore City Councillors did not when they made the decision to spend ratepayers money. The New Lismore City Council must ensure that water play areas are included in the final pool design.

Where will the families play in summer? Where will the children learn water confidence? Where will the babies and big kids and parents play together? The final pool design must include Splash Pools otherwise large groups of families will loose a major recreation facility. At what stage is the tender process? What is the current design for the new pool?

Vanessa Ekins
South Lismore

• Lismore Council Candidate

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Do good

There seem to be three basic ways to live your life: do good, do evil or do nothing. Tom Murdoch (Echo, Feb 26) seems to despise the first, so which of the other two paths does he follow?

As Cloud's partner I can assure Tom that every one of his assumptions about her is wrong.

He assumed she's never worked. In the 1960s children of widows in London's East End earned a wage as soon as they could. (Cloud's first pay packet at age 15 was about $10.)

Contradicting himself Tom then assumes she now either works for an employer or is unemployed. Tom needs coaching in 'thinking outside the square'. After working, studying at Uni and raising three kids, she's now a middle-aged, retired sports scientist and librarian and partner of a Returned Serviceman (Regular Army, G. Wallace)

It's her tendency to do the unusual that attracts publicity to Cloud.

Her 3-day hunger strike was an expression of compassion for, and solidarity with, asylum seekers and refugees. Tom's assumption that this was about seeking fame merely reveals his own shallow selfish motivations.

She cares about the welfare of others and the environmental legacy we'll leave our kids, unlike the beer-swilling brain-dead, who know nothing, and care even less, about either.

Tom's insults would pack more punch if he sounded less like a puerile parrot of the vicious and misinformed pap dished out by self serving moral midgets like Alan Jones and John Laws.

The use of the word 'elite' as an insult arose from the Rabid Right Wing's efforts to discredit those who dare to differ (ie. to think for themselves).

As to names: historically, where my (and, I suspect, Tom's) ancestors came from, a surname indicated a person's profession, or served to distinguish them from others with the same 'given' name. 'Cloud' is my partner's full and legal name. Tom was wrong in assuming it was given to her by her parents, and she neither needs nor wants a surname.

With Tom's score at zero, his credibility in tatters and under a cloud, he shouldn't be surprised if few now take seriously his pompous and ill-informed pronouncements on detention centres, asylum seekers or, one suspects, anything else.

Whilst she got a chuckle out of Tom's letter, I doubt Cloud will bother responding. Time spent on trying to make her society more humane is far more rewarding - a concept apparently alien to Tom Murdoch and G. Wallace.

What do either of you do to make the world a better place? I'll make it easier for you - what have you ever done to improve it?

P Reynolds
via Kyogle

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Agree to disagree

I have worked all my life and I disagree vehemently with Mr T Murdoch's letter (Echo, Feb 26). I do agree with 90 percent of what Cloud writes. She is motivated by compassion and her letters contain facts, unlike Mr Murdoch's letter, which seems to be vacuous bombast only. (That's elitist for 'codswallop").

Cloud has the support of this, usually silent, working man. Incidentally, my job involves continuous lifting, heavy machinery, and steam boiler operation. Just in cast Tom and George conclude I must be a waiter in a coffee shop. I wouldn't put it past 'em.

Brad Hoskins
Wyrallah

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Ballina investments

There may now be some chance of getting answers to questions that Ballina shire councillors have avoided answering up til now.

Concerning financial matters - why did Ballina council decide to sell North Angels Beach land and Henderson Land just months after issuing a Corporate Strategy that committed to keeping and increasing land assets? Why was the Angels Beach land sold for $10.15 million when it was open to council to accept a bid of $12.15 million?

Why did council ignore the Local Government Act requirement to list all proposed asset sales in the Annual Management Plan?

These sales will result in a loss of at least $50 million in revenues for council over a 10-15 year period.

In 2001/02 council began to put millions of dollars of its cash reserves into investments that were rated as " high risk " by Australia's investment rating body ASSIRT. Why did the councillors do this without first checking carefully the track record of the investment trusts it was giving our money to? Why did the councillors accept assurances from key staff and do nothing to directly ensure for themselves the investments were sound and risk free??

The councillors did reverse themselves on this matter after two written and two verbal submissions from me. How did they get it so badly wrong, pooling their collective skills over several meetings, when just one citizen was able to fault the entire approach on one short reading of their "policy"?

Keith Johnson
Alstonville

• Council candidate, C Ward, Ballina

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How to vote

At the Lismore election on 27 March, voters will face with a huge number of candidates to choose from. The State Government has changed the electoral rules so that groups wanting to stand above the line have to have at least six candidates on their ticket. There are 60 candidates standing on nine tickets for the election of Councillors. Two candidates are standing as individuals 'below the line'. Voters who choose to vote for a range of candidates, either from the groups or the ungrouped individuals, have to vote for at least six people.

At this stage, only Country Labor and the Greens will be running party tickets, but it is very clear that at least two of the other tickets have close associations with the Nationals and/or Liberals and one other ticket is led by a candidate who is a member of the Labor Party. There have been suggestions that voting for 'Party' tickets would lead to these parties dominating the Council, however the reality is that in Lismore it is most unlikely that more than two candidates will be elected from any one ticket.

Each group will suggest that voters give preferences to other groups, and it is now left to voters to decide which groups to preference. Unfortunately, those preferences will not be published by the Electoral Commission until election day, so voters should take care when voting to note the How to Votes handed out by their preferred group to see which other groups they are preferencing. My advice is that voters don't preference groups with similar sectional interests as if this were to occur, these people could form a majority and in effect become another six pack.

For the Mayoral election, which is separate, there are 10 candidates. Voters only have to vote for one candidate, but they can also preference other candidates they like.

To take Lismore forward we need a balanced group of people, representing different parts of the community, who will make sensible decisions that represent the community's interests. We need a strong leader who will bring the Councillors together, help develop their skills and work cooperatively, also taking advice from professional staff in their decision-making.

For this to happen, voters need to know who they are voting for, not just vote for a name they recognise. I encourage everyone to seek out information about each candidate or group.

Cr Ros Irwin
Lismore

• Council candidate

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Vote down fear

Fear is the emotion most experienced in an uncivilised society. The present Federal and State governments, and the party machinery that run them, are presently indulged in fear mongering on an unprecedented level. Fear mongering designed to distract our attention from the growing wealth divide and the crime wave which attends it.

Whether it is the fear of invading tribes people from the north or the fear that you forgot to lock the house this morning, matters not. It is the actual 'living in fear', which proves that we are merely surviving and not really living. If we continue to encourage the rich to get richer at the expense of the poor, then the poor will by necessity learn the arts of theft and extortion and we will all suffer from the ills, which accompany those uncivilised acts.

On March 27, don't be fooled by the fearmongers, vote for the only remaining party in the Australian political landscape who are proud to be egalitarian and humanitarian.

Vote for wealth redistribution through the creation of sustainable employment. Vote for the fulfilment of our international responsibilities toward refugees. Vote Green.

Laurence Axtens
Nth Lismore

• Council candidate

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Must be crazy

Am I crazy. I hope I'm crazy. If I'm crazy then maybe humanity isn't being deceived into a never ending, forever increasing cycle of debt.

If I'm crazy then maybe humanity isn't being deceived by multi-national drug companies with $520 billion in global annual revenue and all human illnesses can be cured by pills developed on animals with totally different immune systems. If I'm crazy then maybe humanity isn't being corrupted by institutions like the American military complex and in fact they are seeking sales reductions, world peace and equality for all peoples and nations and not increased power through more war or fear of cold and terror.

If I'm not crazy, it's time we wake up and re-educate the institutions as to who should hold the power in a democracy. Us not the U.S.

Marcus Davis
Lismore

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Bad behaviour

Like so many people I know, I am horrified at the bad behaviour of a portion of today's youth! They seem to think it clever to vandalise, use foul language, leave broken bottles and rubbish everywhere. Stealing, including cars for joy rides, in fact one feels that honesty does not seem to have been taught!

Let me reiterate, it is only a proportion of youth, but it seems to be a growing number in Western Society. I feel with all this 'correct speech' and teaching of individual's rights, other people's rights and the rights of the community have been forgotten! Any form of correction or punishment for misdeeds, seems to be out! I truly feel sorry for teachers. There seems to be a lack of respect for anyone and anything in fact 'civilised societies' are becoming very uncivilised.

When I grew up we were taught respect for each other, particular respect for parents, teachers and those in authority. It may have been thought to be a repressive society, (in many ways it was,) but at least we grew up with these values and a Christian up bringing. The lack of the latter is another problem. Forget about individual denomination's dogma, I remember one thing, that God is LOVE, and that he cares for everyone of us! I certainly know my faith has helped me through many bead time in my life.

Where is family life now? Both parents seem to have to go out to work to pay the mortgage, so a lot of children return to an empty house. Possessions are today's religion, and the more we have the more we want. Of course we are so exposed to advertising, we believe what they say 'That possess this and you will be happy'. Happiness comes form contentment within and not amount of money will change that. How about giving everyone you meet a smile and a hello? I guarantee it will brighten up the world, - and don't forget to 'love one another!

May God bless you all.

Frankie Hill
Goonellabah

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Agree to disagree

I have worked all my life and I disagree vehemently with Mr T Murdoch's letter (Echo, Feb 26). I do agree with 90 percent of what Cloud writes. She is motivated by compassion and her letters contain facts, unlike Mr Murdoch's letter, which seems to be vacuous bombast only. (That's elitist for 'codswallop").

Cloud has the support of this, usually silent, working man. Incidentally, my job involves continuous lifting, heavy machinery, and steam boiler operation. Just in cast Tom and George conclude I must be a waiter in a coffee shop. I wouldn't put it past 'em.

Brad Hoskins
Wyrallah

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Tragic outcome

I have to agree with Cr Tomlinson (Echo feb 19th) that the decision on the Memorial Baths taken by the six pack is a tragedy.

The consultants that Council engaged during my tenure 1995 - 1999 came up with a common sense solution to the problems encountered on that site. Problems that the new pool will also encounter because of a lack of vision from a majority of our elected Councillors. That solution which was priced as costing less than $1million, was simply to sleeve the existing pool with a metal shell. It is flexible and even if it did crack could be more easily repaired than the concrete pool.

The ongoing maintenance costs of this new pool will be an even greater burden on the public purse than the current one. Nobody denies the significance of the Baths and the service people that it represents, but lets face it, the population has moved up the hill. The current pool adequately services the need downtown and just needed to be maintained for less cost.

What Lismore needs is more water space, a truth ignored by the dills on the hill. Every study has clearly identified this. Cr Sweintek has been fighting for a Goonellabah pool for years, but this decision has put that even further out of reach than it was before. Whatever personal hassles people may have had with him, is that good enough reason to punish the entire population of Goonellabah? I think not.

Many of the Councillors have passed their expiry date, including some of the first termers. This is just one of a raft of decisions made without thought or consideration of the people these fossils are supposed to represent. Remeber that in March.

Gray Wilson
Lismore

• Council candidate

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Merger madness

Last week's contumelious announcement from Local Government Minister Tony Kelly killing off Maclean Shire Council and three others is beneath contempt.

It clearly shows that this egregious Sydney ALP decision was made months ago and not one shred of evidence provided by the citizens of Maclean Shire Council, was ever considered by the Minister nor the Premier. The entire, so called consultation and submission process was a cruel charade.

I publicly call upon John Brogden to promise that the immediate restoration of true local government will be prominent in his Policy Platform. Make no mistake, this is a huge win for Big Property Developers, Big Business, and Macquarie Street.

Rates will not be one dollar cheaper and our lifestyle will go downhill from this day.

Take a look at Byron Bay today. That is what Yamba will look like very soon.

Tony is obviously closely related to Ned.

John X Berlin
Maclean

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