Letters To The Editor

Last draw

I would like to respond to Julian Ryan's article 'No butts about it' (Echo, Oct 14) and some of the arguments made by local publicans.

Over the past year the Cancer Council NSW has been talking to people face-to-face across the state while recruiting 26,000 members for our Go Smoke Free campaign. The overwhelming reason people gave for signing up in support of smoking bans in pubs and clubs was that they were tired of going to smoky venues that stink or made them feel sick. A large proportion said they didn't go to pubs and clubs for that very reason but looked forward to the day they could go back there in a smoke-free environment.

Since the state government announced that smoking bans would come into force in pubs and clubs in 2007, some local pubs and clubs have been crying foul. Some argue the bans will lead to everything from decreased pokie profits and cigarette sales, job losses, to increases in anti-social behaviour and even domestic violence!

And while the pubs and clubs wait for this to occur, the other 80% of the population who choose not to smoke will be able to head back to their local pub and enjoy a drink with their mates or listen to a band in a fresher, cleaner environment.

When restaurants went smoke-free in 2000 they didn't go broke. In fact business is booming, and it's booming in venues in New York and Ireland too - regardless of what you might hear from the pubs and clubs lobby. If you need proof, look at the official New York City Council municipal report on employment and income in the sector. It's pretty convincing.

Where there's a level playing field that all of the venues have to adhere to (unlike the current situation applying in Victoria) venues thrive. And so does the health of people who work there.

Diana Fisher
The Cancer Council NSW
Far North Coast Region

Power explained

The whole team here at the Nimbin Neighbourhood and Information Centre was disappointed to read Paula Hout's letter (Echo, Oct 21) regarding George Scott.

If Paula had come and asked us about the situation, we would have been able to explain to her, as we have to various other community members who have approached us to "lobby" for George, that we have always supported George to play in the park and we have never denied him access to our electricity.

As the whole town is aware, the centre is undergoing renovations and at present the rear of our premises is inaccessible except to the builder himself.

We have explained to George on at least three occasions that whilst the work is underway he is welcome to plug in at the centre during weekdays as normal, and that we are endeavouring to find a way to provide him access to power on weekends as well. We have asked him to be patient and wait until the renovations are completed for the weekend access issue to be resolved.

Instead of thanking us for our support over the years, or offering to help us with the renovations etc, George continues to wrongfully tell community members that we are denying him access to electricity.

We throw up our hands - what more can we do? We are wondering what George is trying to achieve by lobbying for something he already has!

Natalie Meyer
Team Leader, NNIC

Power 2

In response to the letter 'Power plays' (Echo, Oct 21) regarding George Scott's access to power for his PA, it must be pointed out that the Nimbin Neighbourhood and Information Centre has been undergoing extensive renovations.

This had included the demolition of the back of the building, where George had been plugging in. When the re-building is completed there will be an accessible power point for the many events that Allsop Park hosts.

George has been told that he is welcome to plug in during the week, when the venture is open. Unfortunately, we cannot provide access to power over the weekend. Why is George choosing not to play on weekdays?

Annie Minchin
Volunteer Manager
Nimbin Neighbourhood & Information Centre
Ratepayer wronged

What value has social capital?

After the mayor of Richmond Valley Council gave his spiel (Echo, Oct 21) about how "Quality of life and preservation of our social capital were of the utmost importance to us all", we expected some compassion in decision making from Council. Instead we were disgusted by the heartless and cruel discussion generated by some councillors, from a humble plea by a ratepayer in dire straits.

The lady asked that Council waive the tipping fees that resulted from disposal of waste materials produced from her amputee husband's home dialysis treatment. She explained their position in some detail and it was plain to see that this was an embarrassing and emotional trial for her. She was forced in front of Council and a full gallery to lay bare private details of their life and finances, which she did bravely, although her voice and emotions almost let her down. The amount this would cost Council is $84 per year, not much from their budget but one of many costs that occur when a family is trying to survive and cope with a long term illness.

This matter had been under discussion and is still not resolved. This request could have and should have been granted without this couple being exposed to such an embarrassing and unnecessary situation.

At Council it was disclosed that Council's travel and conference budget was around $24,000. Couldn't some body come home by bus to make up the shortfall?

And Sandra Humphries if the saying "What goes around comes around" is true, then you want to pray that you and your family stay healthy.

We suggest that Richmond Valley ratepayers ring their councillors and ask how they stood on the matter.

Harmony Walsh & Pat Magee
Bungawalbin

Butcher bards

In answer to PJ Lake of Ballina (Echo, Oct 21) re a butcher bird making magpie sounds, I was walking up my stairs late one afternoon when I heard a lot of different bird sounds. As I stopped and sat near the top of the stairs, I marvelled at all the birds outside my bedroom window. As I crept over to the window to witness this incredible sight, like you I was amazed to see just one bird - a butcher bird. It had a wonderful range of different sounds - magpie, pee wee, currawong, dove and all kinds of parrots. So, yes, I have also found the butcher bird a great mimic and totally enjoyable.

Charmaine Samuels
Goonellabah
Dip out

When will we ever learn?

How can you justify having created a dam over an old cattle dip?

It is now known that old cattle dip sites are extremely hazardous and very unfriendly to the environment. But we still have them!

Efforts are in place to put cement caps on any old dip sites that haven't already been capped. This is to ensure that nothing can disturb the accumulated layering of hazardous poisons, poisons like DDT and Arsenic that take 250,000 years (give or take a few thousand) to begin to break down.

Arsenic can be controlled because it binds to the immediate soil and can be relocated if completely dug up and moved for proper disposal, so capping is essential. BUT! This is where the problem lies, with not enough information known about DDT.

It is my understanding from talking to a friend of mine who works at the Department of Agriculture at Wollongbar that it is not known how mobile DDT is after it infiltrates the groundwater flow.

Unlike Arsenic it does not appear that DDT can be contained that easily.

As far as the Knockrow Water Treatment Plant goes how can you manage something like DDT if you don't completely understand its movement?

Eutrophication of our water supplies is a problem we now face and can be directly related to the agriculture practices of the past and present. Algae blooms in drinking water catchments are inevitable due to our current nature of clear and destroy.

It is clear that the Rous County Council needs to be more honest with the local people of the region and come clean about water control measures in the future. With all the new water filters on the market maybe someone can invent one that filters out DDT.

D Wilson
Woodburn

Con soldiers on

With all the negative publicity about the condition of the Conservatorium building it's easy to lose sight of the positive contribution the Con makes to Lismore and the wider Northern Rivers community.

As a Registered Training Organisation the Conservatorium offers fully accredited courses in music and dance and next year intends to commence acting for stage and screen with distinguished actor/director George Whaley. This year 110 students enrolled in full-time music and dance courses. Along with students from the Northern Rivers region are those from wider NSW, Victoria and Queensland.

A number of graduates have gone on to further study at Southern Cross University and other universities throughout Australia. Others have become professional musicians and teachers.

There are over 450 students coming to the Conservatorium after school to study various instruments and take part in ensembles, choirs, bands and dance and drama groups. Early Childhood Music classes attract more than 130 budding musicians from toddlers to six year olds in Lismore, Bangalow and Lennox Head. Conservatorium teachers also take classes in public and private schools and last year supported 27 HSC students. Bursaries are offered to the disadvantaged and especially gifted.

The Conservatorium employs over 61 staff. Specialist musicians are brought in to take master classes throughout the year.

Last year, after having to vacate the part of the building containing two dance studios, NORPA generously made available their dance studio at a considerably reduced rate and Lismore City Council allowed the Conservatorium to take over the first floor of C Block, which were refurbished at the Con's expense. There are now two dance studios operating in C Block with drama and yoga classes also sharing the space.

This year music and dance students and staff performed in many concerts in Lismore, Bangalow and Byron Bay. Musicians and dancers contributed to the Lismore Herb Festival and also performed during the coming Lismore Show. The Conservatorium Big Band is also in high demand.

Operating under extremely difficult circumstances the Conservatorium still manages to deliver high quality training in a wide variety of disciplines to a large number of students and provide entertainment and support to the wider community.

The Conservatorium's Open Day is on Saturday, October 30. Members of the public are welcome to come and see for themselves what an asset the Con really is.

Gabrielle O'Shannessy
Director, Northern Rivers Conservatorium

Kids thanks

The Royal Children's Foundation would like to extend its gratitude to your community through a number of fundraising avenues over many years, the most recent being the Coles Care For Kids appeal that raised an amazing $465,000 statewide, with almost $24,000 coming from the Lismore area alone.

This contribution is even more astounding given the size of your community and is much appreciated by Queensland kids and their families, who will greatly benefit from your generosity and the staff at the Royal Children's.

Please do not hesitate to contact me at the Royal Children's Foundation on (07) 3852 1199 or at karanm@workingwonders.com.au should you have any queries.

Karen Murphy
CEO Royal Children's Hospital Foundation.

Save the building

The Richmond River Historical Society shares the concern of the Northern Rivers Conservatorium director, Gabrielle O'Shannessy, regarding the future of the century-old landmark which the Conservatorium has been occupying on Keen Street (Echo, Oct 21).

This site has been in the care of the Department of the Education since a public school was first located there in the 1880s. Both the 1902-03 (A block) and the adjacent 1911 (B block) buildings were designed by the Government Architect's Office while Walter Liberty Vernon was the Government architect.

As well as being listed by the National Trust of Australia (NSW), these buildings are also on Lismore's Local Environment Plan 2000 (Heritage Schedule 2, item 32).

They have had an important place in the lives of several generations of families in Lismore and the Richmond River district, at first housing primary school students and then high school students from 1942 until 1970 when the tertiary students moved in.

Long concerned about its neglect, in 2002 the society supported the efforts of the Conservatorium to have the listing upgraded to state heritage status.

Before making a final decision the records of the Department of Education should be consulted. These would no doubt show building movement have always taken place in periods of drought because of the nature of the soil.

With plans to make the site a centre for 'Art in the Heart', it would seem appropriate to retain the building described in the Lismore Heritage Study as an example of the Arts and Craft style.

Annette Potts
Vice President
Richmond River Historical Society Inc.
Lismore

Silent majority

It's a pity the silent majority drowns out the chattering classes only once every three years.

Election post-mortems usually make amusing reading and this one was no different. Some have suggested the Coalition only won because of a scare campaign, lies or a massive bribe. Or maybe it was the moon unfairly aspecting Uranus? Andy Gough (Echo, Oct 14) even described it as "a depressing referendum on the Australian psyche"... Er... meanwhile back on Earth...

Since the election Coalition supporters have been called ignorant, stupid, selfish, gullible, morally bankrupt, greedy, blind and shameful. Put the dummy back in people. Not only are you locked in a denial of the problem but some of those that you are insulting are swinging voters that you will need to woo over to win the next election.

Michael Mizzi even dredges up some Nazi references, perhaps forgetting in his grief the old maxim that he who quotes Hitler has lost his argument. More Nescafe Michael, less latte.

The Labor Party used to represent the pride of the working class, however lately it has sold out to pontificating elitists who like to lecture the masses on their pet causes of refugees, the environment and their hatred of America. These moralising do-gooders are like dinosaurs from a bygone era unaware that the meteor has hit despite all the dust.

Labor wins elections from the Centre, not the Left, and further indulgence of the chattering classes and their prejudices and peccadilloes will continue to deliver electoral oblivion for the ALP.

Tom Murdoch
Lismore

Peaced off

I disagree with Mungo - there will be no new "adventures in Iran, or Syria, or Saudi Arabia, or wherever the God-given visions of Howard's masters demand our presence" (Echo, Oct 21). At least not in the short term.

For many elections now it has been the political modus operandi of the conservatives to set the bar of loyalty to the US too high for the Labor Party. This creates a political advantage for them and is legitimate political behaviour. It is reprehensible only when the act of setting the bar too high actually involves warfare, potential death or harm to Australian soldiers and invasion of other countries. And this, of course, is Howard's greatest crime.

However, he will not need to act so profligately with Australian lives, reputation and goodwill for at least two and a half more years. So prepare for peace in our (short) time.

Bill Kidd
The Channon

You star

I was delighted to read about Helen Hope and her fabulous astrological star show on 2NCR FM, which has fast become a huge hit - most of my friends can't wait for Monday arvo to come around!

Helen gives more than just a personal star report, explaining the general movement of the stars and how they affect us generally and politically as well. With her flamboyant personality and unique style, this world-class astrologer has quickly become one of Lismore's brightest stars.

I find The Echo stars irrelevant and a boring case of deja vu if one reads previous Saturday stars in the S M Herald and Byron Echo.

Maybe it is time for a change, no offence Lilith!

Sylvia Lyte
Lismore

Lucky so far

Three Australian soldiers injured in Iraq? Surprise, surprise! This travesty of media reporting, even interviewing relatives on trivial details, reveals the sickness at the heart of our country in reinstating the Coalition. Do we really expect to invade a country and come out unscathed? We've been lucky, so far. And those Howard voters can take responsibility for any future Iraq war casualties, including the unfortunate Care Australia woman who has been kidnapped and threatened with beheading.

When does the media ever report the massive numbers of innocent Iraqi civilians killed by this invasion force? How many thousands now?

I sympathise with the families of any Australian soldiers in Iraq who are just pawns in the game but please: spare us the trivia.

Cherie Imlah

Mongogarie

Lake lost

What forward planning has been carried out to provide a safe, public, swimming facility for the rapidly-expanding population of Lennox Head?

Lake Ainsworth is sick, perhaps terminally ill.

According to a report in The North Coast Advocate, in August 1988, the then shire engineer, Fred Woods, warned Ballina Shire Council that Lake Ainsworth was being overloaded, and in jeopardy as a recreational resource.

Despite this alarming professional advice, Council decided to expand its caravan park on the southern lake shore, to increase revenue, rather than use the area for parking and picnic areas as requested by the Lennox Head Residents' Association. (The Department of Lands had told the council to increase revenue, the newspaper report said.)

Seven years later blue-green algal infestations hit Lake Ainsworth, forcing the first of many closures. No-one is alleging that the caravan park is entirely responsible for the lake's closures, but we should learn from past mistakes. Stormwater and run-off from Pacific Parade must be mong contributing factors.

If Ballina Council agrees to a multi-million dollar, enlarged caravan park, on the grounds of raising more revenue, this could result in a further decline in the lake's water quality, according to community leaders. The convener of Lake Ainsworth Access Group, Dr Lyn Walker, wants the park closed to enable the lake to recover. The convener of Lennox Land Care, Malcolm Milner, has written "The caravan park is a significant contributor to the problems around the lake."

Lake closures seem to be lasting longer and longer. Warning signs have been up around the lake for the past six weeks. It would be interesting to know:

How many weeks the lake has been closed this year because of algal blooms, compared with previous years, and;

How much has been spent on remediation measures for the lake. (I have heard a total of $300,000, but do not know if that includes Council staff's time to monitor water quality.)

Meanwhile Lennox children need a safe place to learn to swim. Elite swimmers need to practice, and people of all ages need somewhere to relax and safely enjoy aquatic exercise, apart from surfing.

Lennox Head's Kay Wallbrook has advocated that a tidal rock swimming pool be established at the southern end of Seven Mile Beach, as happened around Sydney beaches. Such a pool would need to be agreed to before the Byron Marine Park is ratified.

The village now has a population of more than 6000, which will double when presently-approved subdivisions are built on. More 'on-the-horizon' subdivisions are mooted. In the past, district centres approaching populations of about 9000 have established swimming pools, often made possible by strong community fund-raising. Many smaller centres, from Bangalow to Bonalbo and beyond, have public pools.

The Lake Ainsworth Sport and Recreation Centre has a swimming pool, but it is not open to the public. The concept of a heated swimming pool as part of a new Lake Ainsworth Caravan Park complex, closed to the public, raised community ire.

I was among those who used to enjoy daily, round-the-year swimming in Lake Ainsworth. For five years I assisted the legendary Don Apps just one day a week, pulling out weeds, planting locally indigenous flora, and generally cleaning up around the lake. Don was on the job daily, for an extraordinary 12 years.

Public devastation of Lake Ainsworth, a unique and beloved water resource, cannot be allowed to continue.

Marelle Lee
Lennox Head

Vale Larry

The very loud and distinctly audible click heard across Northern NSW at 10.30am on Friday morning was ABC listeners, in droves, switching off, as ABC North Coast Radio sought to eulogise Larry Anthony. You must remember Larry, the MP who has just been given the "order of the boot" by unhappy voters in the Federal seat of Richmond.

His loss was one of the few good things to come out of campaign 2004. An ineffectual MP who truly believed "he was born to rule" as his father and grandfather had before him. This guy was completely out of touch with the urban electors of Tweed Heads while pandering, unashamedly, to his Hayseed mates.

Disgracefully, he has already been offered a diplomatic post by the 'Kaiser from Kirribilli' and for the ABC to continue this 'namby pampy' treatment of a political dud shows just how out of touch some elements within the Toffee Branch of Caffe Latte Byron Bay really are.

John X Berlin
Maclean

Highway patrol numbers

I refer to the lazy Member for Ballina's 'State Matters' column (Echo, Oct 14).

It's concerning that Mr Page would abuse such a forum by recycling an attack on police he first hawked to the media in March, earning him widespread condemnation.

While he claims a reduction in highway patrol service, NSW Police Northern Region operational records reveal a different story.

The number of drink driving and traffic offences detected and random breath tests conducted increased considerably between 1998 and 2003.

Mr Page also fails to recognise the impact of 10 new cars for Northern Region, Operation Vikings and major seasonal blitzes by the Traffic Services Group that deploy state-wide resources to the north coast.

John Watkins
Minister for Police