Letters To The Editor

Cycleway in wrong place

Your report about the Ballina to Lennox Coastal Cycleway (Echo, Dec 2) contains some inaccuracies, which I feel require correcting so that readers will not be misled.

First, the "coastal strip of land between Flat Rock and Lennox Head (that is) to be turned into a cycle/walkway linking Ballina and Lennox Head" is in fact a wide expanse of extensive coastal-conservation (7-f) land including some SEPP-26 Littoral Rainforest, through part of which Council currently hopes to cut a cyclepath corridor. The notion that the land will be "turned into" a cycleway is incorrect.

It is by no means certain that this will ever be possible under state environmental legislation and controls. Some of the route is actually on private land. That is why Council will spend $110,000 on consultants over the coming year or more to merely assess whether the whole project is ever going to be feasible. If their answer is "no" or if they indicate that it will be exorbitantly expensive, Council may have to look at alternatives.

Professionally mapped alternatives have been available for some time, showing how Ballina can have a coastal cyclepath that gives access to scenic sites and serves as a commuting corridor for local residents ... all without destroying valuable coastal ecology and at a much lower cost than the fortune of taxpayer's money this present route will incur. I can supply a mapped example of an alternative route if readers write to PO Box 166, Ballina, and enclose two 50 cent stamps to cover postage.

You refer finally to how "Work on the Angels Beach to Flat Rock section is expected to begin early next year once funding arrangements are finalised". This first leg, like all the rest, is to be funded dollar for dollar by the RTA. The RTA's Environmental and Heritage policies and standards are very stringent. In particular, RTA will not fund the cyclepath unless they are satisfied that the community is comprehensively happy with the route and have been adequately consulted about it.

Unfortunately for its proponents, the presently proposed route along Angels Beach to Flat Rock is totally rejected by the indigenous custodians and Land Title Claimants of the beach. This objection has been conveyed in writing and in person to Council on numerous occasions. If the RTA does ever proceed to fund this leg of the cyclepath it will be in blatant defiance of Aboriginal wishes, contrary to the RTA's own Indigenous Heritage policy, and a sad day for black-white relationships in Ballina Shire.

Dr Lee W Andresen
President,
Angels Beach Dune Care & Reafforestation Group Inc.

Razor wire kids

There are still 99 children held in Australia's on-shore and off-shore immigration detention centres. There are 88 children in locked facilities with guards. Four children are about to have their fifth Christmas in detention. You can help Rural Australians for Refugees to make their Christmas a bit more fun.

We hoped there wouldn't be any children in detention this Christmas - but there they are! We're sure people in the Northern Rivers will once again give us great support for this appeal.

We are collecting for the 16 Afghan and Iraqi children on Nauru, the 9 Vietnamese children on Christmas Island, and the 20 Afghan and Chinese children in the Baxter Immigration Detention Centre and the Port Augusta housing project.

The ages of the boys and girls in detention range from 2 months to 16 years, with the majority 5 and up.

If you would like to send a gift to a child in detention, here are some suggestions: new trendy clothes; music CDs (new artists); computer games; Playstation and Nintendo games; model making toys; advanced Lego; puzzles; dolls; make-up; jewellery; nice stationery, pens etc; kids books; T-shirts; baseball caps; toys; education equipment.

Please don't buy anything that can be fashioned into a weapon or missile. Second-hand gifts need to be in excellent condition. Please leave presents unwrapped, as they need to be inspected by staff at the centres, who will then wrap them for distribution to the children. We need all gifts in by Tuesday, December 14, so we can get them to the centres for Christmas.

We are also collecting money for phone cards so that detainees can chat with family and friends during Christmas.

You can leave gifts and donations (in clearly-marked, sealed envelopes) at the Lismore Neighbourhood Centre, Noah's Arc bookstore, Lismore, the Catholic Parish Office, 9 Perry Street, Alstonville, or in school hours, St Joseph's School office, Alstonville, or at the Byron Community Primary School on the corner of Ruskin and Tennyson Streets, Byron Bay between 9am and 4pm. Or you can deposit money directly at the Summerland Credit Union, Molesworth St, Lismore - Rural Australians for Refugees - Fair Go a/c, Member No 55112.

If you need more information, call me on 6688 6147.

Bobbi Allan
The Channon

End is nigh

After yet again refusing to sign up to the Kyoto Protocol, Senator Ian Campbell and entourage are jetting off to the climate change conference in Buenos Aires to add to our destruction of the atmosphere. No doubt they will attempt to put a spanner in the works as they tried so hard to do in Johannesburg. Senator Campbell said "anyone who says Australia is the worst [greenhouse gas emitter] is just talking down their own nation". So the fact that we are the worst per capita greenhouse gas polluter is seen as irrelevant because we have an expanding economy, and the fact that our industrial and transport sectors have increased emissions by over one third since 1990 isn't counted, because our farmers have stopped clearing as much land and some of us are actually revegetating our properties.

What I want to know is why won't the government sign the Kyoto Protocol and let us farmers benefit from the carbon credits (which will be worth between 9 and 40 euros per tonne of CO2 equivalent), or do they take us so much for granted that they are going to shaft us again.

Global warming is here, it will hit Australia harder than any other country as higher temperatures and decreased rainfall increase the severity of droughts. Cyclones and severe wether will be more frequent, intense and will move further south. But who needs farmers? We can always import our food and desalinate seawater. The only trouble is imports have to be paid for, and as no-one will want our coal, we will be left as another failed Pacific nation.

Simon Cripps Clark
Gundurimba

Penny wise, pound foolish

On Thursday, December 2, my two-year-old daughter and I were shopping in a store on Molesworth Street when she said she needed to go to the toilet. I hastily left the store (time is not a thing you have a lot of with a 2 y.o.) and made my way down the street in search of the nearest toilet.

I saw a sign for a 'Ladies restroom' in a Lismore CBD arcade and raced in without taking too much notice and put her on the toilet. A loud voice yells out "how many?" I turned around to find an elderly lady with her hand out telling me this stop was going to cost me 30 cents. I apologised and said I only had 10c in my wallet (I hadn't yet been to the ATM). She scoffed at me and said "I don't believe you." Not that it was any of her business, but I emptied my wallet out to show 2 x 5c pieces. She told me that was not good enough and that she couldn't use the toilet (too late...)!

I said "Please, she's only two and had to go urgently and I didn't know we had to pay, as I have never been in here." She then proceeded to tell me what a "disgusting" mother I was going out with my daughter with no money in my wallet and that she wanted to take my name down and I had better return with the rest of the money.

What a huge judgement from someone I have never met. I was in total disbelief at the attitude of an elderly lady, who I would generally have held great respect for. Feeling like I had the wind knocked out of me, I collected my daughter and left feeling very upset.

'Tis the season to be jolly? Not for some, obviously.

Camille Borgas
North Lismore

Lennox life

The word 'sustainable' is confusing when used in relationship with 'development'. Having been involved with the Survey St Action Group since 1998 I have seen the term used many times in print form but have rarely seen it put into practice. Our group is not anti-development, but we want to see appropriate development that enhances our environment, and is in harmony with the land and not the existing housing estates, which were built in the 70/80s. With unparalleled levels of population growth it is vital we protect our beautiful coastal country. Open your eyes Lennox Head and Ballina Shire, our precious heritage is been destroyed. Bob Carr, in 2001, suggested many people may have to give up their dream of ocean views and beachfront properties in order to protect our fragile coastline for future generations unless the developments were 'eco-sensitive'. It is vital that we keep reminding our councillors, councils and politicians that this sensitive coastland cannot sustain the rate of development that we have seen in the last 20 years.

I have recently door knocked 200 homes, held a public meeting were 140 people attended and spoke to another 200 visitors and residents at our information desk at Lennox re the Survey St Development proposal. Out of those 500 odd people a maximum of 10 like how things were, the rest of the community were appalled, concerned and frustrated with the ramifications that these ad hoc unsuitable developments are having on their life and the future of their children's lives.

When I spoke about development that incorporates green open parkland lands and wildlife corridors, large building blocks, enhancing the visual amenity of the land, something we the community, could be proud, people became quite euphoric with the vision of a beautiful eco-sensitive estate rather than the ugly overdeveloped environment. Imagine visitors being amazed at the balance that has been created between nature and man and going back to their respective shires demanding the same. It is not the impossible dream, it can happen, but only with the community involvement and by putting pressure on our representatives. We need to move away from the traditional narrowly conceived ideas of development at all costs without prior consulting with the community, who know the land, and have to live with the on going problems that over- development will have on the environment, existing residents and the future residents of this sensitive area. It‚s frustrating when the voice of one developer overrides the objections of hundreds and more like thousands of the community.

Come on NSW State Government and Ballina Council make us proud. Let us live our dream and be the first in the state that truly desires to break away from this old thought. Take a walk on the naturally wild side, you'll be amazed at what can be achieved with less emphasis on the greed and dollar, and more thought for saving our natural heritage and listening to the community.

Mandy Andrews
Survey St Action Group
Lennox Head

George's gift

In response to the weary listener (Echo, Dec 2).

Four years ago George won a small submission from the Department of Justice to run a music program in the park, during tourist bus arrival times, presenting a variety of local performers.

The money was enough to hire a PA system for the period over the summer. This meant that the performer/s of the day would take the 'hat' money as their monetary reward. Of course grant money is rarely ongoing, and so it ended for this particular program. However, by the following summer season George had gained the real support of the local businesses, which had committed weekly donations towards each week's performance.

You may well imagine as a performer that singing outdoors to an uncertain crowd is not an easy task. Nor performing in the presence of smashed glass and angry infighting among those who have been literally chased around the village over some 12 years. Over time George found himself holding the fort, so to say, as his fellow acts moved on to take up other opportunities. George is open to further acts, appreciating the support and relief from the demands of singing each day. His repertoire is huge and he rarely shouts, especially in public. Personally, I believe no other singer could rise to the occasion as George has. His temperament, the quality of his performance and his compassion meet in such a way that he has survived over incredible challenges to bring to his town a gift from his heart. This is a particularly relevant community activity during Christmas. I am dismayed that the familiarity of a quality performer should attract such naïve retribution. I am in awe that we Nimbinites find it so hard to maintain perspective and to give thanks.

Kristine Uebergang
Nimbin

Herbal spray

On Tuesday, November 30, I attended a workshop at the Lismore Council Chambers where the Herb Festival was to be discussed. To say it was an utter disgrace is to put it mildly.

The so-called workshop was a self-promoting exercise by Jenny de Greenlaw, whose sole objective appeared to be to convince the councillors and the general manager that the Herb Festival under her guidance was a roaring success.

She made some of the wildest claims, which were an insult to the intelligence of all present. She claimed that 20,000 people attended the festival, based on the fact that 8-10,000 meals were served. That figure blew out to 10-20,000 half an hour later. She did admit that no head count was done.

I did a head count. On August 21 (Sat) between 2pm and 3pm I walked right around the total area and counted 488.

I did the same on Sunday, August 22, and the total between 1pm and 2pm was 872.

I am prepared to concede that while I may have missed some people I would have also counted some twice.

To allow for comings and goings, those figures could most generously be multiplied by say 5 to get a total attendance.

That exercise shows a total attendance of 6800, which I firmly believe to be excessive. The excuse given for the festival was to promote herbs and alternate medicine.

If that is so, could someone please tell me why a woman was there on the Saturday handing out "Johnny is a liar" car stickers. She became quite aggressive when I asked her if the festival was a family fun show or a left wing political rally.

At a marquee in the grounds, I stopped for a while to listen to a woman talking about violence against women and generally condemning all men as violent animals.

I fail to see the relevance between these two women and what the festival is supposed to be all about.

I did not see an Australian flag, but saw about 20 of the rainbow flags, which probably says what the Festival is all about.

Jenny de Greenlaw told us that as a result of the Herb Festival two new businesses had commenced in Lismore. Face painting and belly dancing. Jenny must never have been to The Channon markets.

I wonder what their ABNs are?

Figures of between $15,000 and $60,000 were bandied about as the cost to Council. No-one will ever know the cost to ratepayers and in particular the businesses in the CBD who contribute a special rate to promote the city.

There is the direct contribution from Council, which seems to have been $20,000, then the subsidised amount LUO received from Council plus the many hours of Council and LUO staff, which are not attributed to the festival costs. Despite several requests, I have never seen a financial report on any of the Herb Festivals.

From what I could gather, the cost to Council was around $60,000, not including many more thousands of dollars in staff wages not attributed directly to the Festival's costs, but still a cost which should be included if there was any genuine effort made to give an honest and accurate account.

I sit on the Board of three quite large companies and at their meeting the chairman runs proceedings. I wonder why it was the general manager and not the mayor who took over proceedings. After all the mayor was popularly elected in a landslide majority to run the Council, part of which is meetings and workshops, no matter how much of a farce the workshops are.

By comparison the Lismore Cup attracts a crowd of 10,000 who pay at the gate. All accommodation in Lismore is booked out and the city is packed that night.

I checked with some of the accommodation houses in Lismore and they said the Herb Festival meant nothing in beds to them. Jenny de Greenlaw claimed that accommodation this year was up 10% on last year. Was it from 10 beds to 11?

The Herb Festival sits somewhere between the Nimbin Mardi Grass and The Channon Markets. The crowd at The Channon markets is generally larger than the Herb Festival at no cost to Council.

Will we ever see a financial account of the Herb Festival or is it such a financial disaster that it can't be done accurately and Council would be too embarrassed to publicly admit to the amount of money thrown at a free hippy party?

The North Coast National, which has a century of tradition, is where the region's agricultural and horticultural products are shown. The showground has ample space to cater for the herb growers and alternate medicines and attracts a crowd of about 50,000.

The $60,000 given to the Herb Festival could be used on facilities at the showground. About $180,000 over the last three years would have made a huge difference.

Alternately, Council could have brought or leased a shop in The Strand or Star Court Arcade and put in some public toilets.

Also the $60,000 per annum would employ two full time gardeners to keep the CBD nice and clean and colourful.

A couple of BBQs and covered tables and bench seats in the Cedar Log Park and the park opposite would also add to the city's appeal.

There are many more ways the Council would promote Lismore as the business capital of the North Coast.

Perhaps a workshop without a paid consultant pushing a personal financial barrow could be a start.

John Barnes
Lismore