Letters To The Editor
Sports fiasco was obvious to most
Last week all hell broke out when it was revealed that Lismore Council had
prevented a long-time Oakes Oval user, Marist Brothers Rugby League Club, from
hosting their semi-final at the city's premier football venue. Council had previously
taken a booking for the ground from Soccer Far North Coast for local junior grand
finals.
I have heard all the arguments from all the stakeholders about what has happened
and I have read Council's reply. At the end of the day there is a very simple
solution. That is to act in accordance with Council's long-standing policy on
the hiring of Oakes Oval.
This policy was established many years ago to deal with situations just like
this and was well entrenched into operational procedure until recently it seems.
The policy is clear and unambiguous and has been used successfully in the past.
This situation should never have been allowed to reach this crisis point. The
potential for conflicting bookings was raised with Council staff members months
ago and at that time staff should have held a meeting with all the stakeholders
to seek an amicable resolution to the matter utilising the hire policy as a mediation
instrument.
Before the recent restructure of the Parks department all senior Parks staff
knew how delicate these situations could be and we worked methodically at avoiding
them and nipping them in the bud. Now it seems nobody knows the policy or can
identify the potential for conflicting bookings. Management thinks it has taken
a step forward with it's recent restructuring, but in light of this latest fiasco
it seems more like it has taken two steps back.
This latest drama comes on the heels of the cricket wicket fiasco, the Anzac
Cup fiasco and the sports funding saga earlier this year. Have Council taken a
step forward followed by two steps back... on face value it would be hard to argue
otherwise.
Laurie Cooper
Tregeagle
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Values vacuum
So now John Howard and his knights of the moral crusade will be teaching "Australian
values" to all those morally inferior Muslims, who obviously can't even tell
right from wrong.
There seems to be just no limits to the extent of Howard and Co's superiority
complex, not to mention their hypocrisy.
Mungo MacCallum (Echo, Sept 1) is right in pointing out that what they are
really talking about are "universal human values", and that "to
claim that there is something peculiarly Australian about them is ignorant, bigoted,
and just plain stupid. To imply that lesser breeds need special instruction in
them is arrogant, patronising and deeply insulting."
But then again, isn't that exactly what Howard and his followers are?
I just wonder, with this new teaching of "Australian values", will
Muslim kids now be taught that it is quite alright to be part of an act of aggression
that will directly be responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands and
the misery of millions of innocent people?
Because that is exactly what kids and adults, here in Australia and elsewhere
in the world, have been learning about "Australian values" for a number
of years now, every time Howard or one of his colleagues appears on their TV.
Trying to fight a moral crusade against terrorism is a lost cause when you
yourself are a terrorist.
So, instead of patronising anyone, Howard and his crusaders should, perhaps,
just lead by example.
As the philosopher and political activist Noam Chomsky says:
"Everyone's worried about stopping terrorism. Well, there is a really
easy way: Stop participating in it."
Tom Koo
Alstonville
Forest freedoms
Can you imagine being sued for standing up to the destruction of something
irreplaceable? Well, this is what's happening here in Australia. Late last year
Gunns Ltd issued a $6.4 million lawsuit against 20 individuals and groups active
to protect Tasmania's ancient forests. Whilst Gunns' initial claims have been
discredited, the legal threat to these people continues.
There will be a public meeting at the Winsome Hotel in Lismore this Thursday,
Sept 8, at 7.30pm. Come and hear about this David and Goliath struggle. The night
also features David Warth's new film "Two Visions" and a slideshow of
Tasmania's magestic old growth forests.
In the face of this challenge to our basic democratic rights, we need free
speech legislation. Please encourage our local, state and federal members to introduce
laws which protect community participation in public debate and discourage law
suits that stifle free speech.
Valerie Thompson
Lismore
Gold Outcome
It is disappointing to hear Dr Gates suggest that the WWII veteran community
has been divided and alienated by the ongoing debate about a retirement village
in Evans Head. I must say to the contrary, WWII veterans, Ex-Servicepersons and
the general community have won gold, for the services so desperately needed in
the community and surrounding area will now be provided.
The Ex-Services Home was created in 1956 by the members of the RSL Sub-Branches
from the Far North Coast and Tablelands and run as a 'Not-For-Profit' benevolent
organisation. Mr Gates has been corrected previously for calling the Ex-Services
Home "private, not RSL". It is true that the RSL (NSW Branch) are not
directly involved, but the Ex-Services Home is supported by all the RSL Sub-Branches
within and outside the District well as other Ex-service Organisations. Some of
the residents may well have spent time at the Aerodrome during the war years,
but all will have a commitment to keeping the memories alive.
Evans Head residents have shown a strong commitment and support for such a
project and we thank you publicly for this. We have also acknowledged your overwhelming
request to be part of this Village.
It has been noted that Mr Gates has said, "The decision for the development
of the Evans Head Memorial Aerodrome will be made by the NSW Heritage Council",
so let it be, and lets move forward.
To the Veteran and General community of Evans Head, thank you for many pieces
of silver, we are turning it into Gold to be used wisely to provide a much needed
service.
Bob Crosthwaite
Chairman, The Ex Services Home Ballina
Gates defence
As a member of the Evans Head Memorial Aerodrome Committee, I take great exception
to the bitter and twisted attack on Dr. Richard Gates in Frank Mc Key's letter
(Echo, Sept 1).
I wonder just how many people would have signed your pieces of paper, Frank
Mc Key, if they had known the complete truth about the proposed Nursing Home development
at Evans Head?
Margaret Saul
Evans Head
Still waiting
Labor member Justine Elliot's visit with Kim Beazley and his entourage gave
great hope to the people of Alstonville, who are still waiting for the very dangerous
road situation to be solved by a bypass. It is now a month since this visit and
Justine hasn't told us how her influence will get the bypass started and when.
It is time for Justine to lean on Michael Costa. You will remember him - he
took away our XPT.
It is no good asking Neville Newell, he is like Rip Van Winkle and only wakes
up on election day. As an original member of the local bypass group may I pay
a special tribute to Terry Lee who passed away recently after contributing so
much to the Alstonville Community.
Larry Anthony played his part and obtained a commitment of $12 million from
the federal Government.
Bob English
Port Macquarie
Coraki hospital
An update from The Save Coraki and District Campbell Hospital Committee.
Recently members of the Coraki community travelled to inspect the MPS at Nimbin.
This new facility was built at a cost of $4.1 million.
Community members have also inspected the MPS at Kyogle that was built at a
cost of $10.3 million.
Both of these facilities have age-care beds funded by the Commonwealth along
with hospital services funded by the State Government.
Coraki already has 45 age-care beds at the Mid Richmond Residents Village.
This facility is located next to the Campbell Hospital Committee believes that
the existing hospital building could be renovated for a fraction of the cost spent
at Kyogle and Nimbin. This would be the most cost effective solution and provide
the health services required today and into the future. Alternatively a new hospital
could be constructed on vacant land within the existing hospital grounds. This
cost would still be low compared to Nimbin and Kyogle as additional aged-care
facilities are not required at Coraki.
By building a new Hospital at Coraki, Area Health would be able to use the
existing hospital buildings for any stated (or unstated) purpose.
Ray Jeffrey
Coraki
Value corrections
I always enjoy Mungo MacCallum's "Political Corrections" column as
a refreshingly alternate view on current politics.
He's absolutely right: Australians don't have a franchise on values (Echo,
Sept 1) and in fact many of our cultural / political / social / economic values and
actions do fall short of what we all might consider to be "universal human
values".
But if that is the case why shouldn't our children learn about these in school?
Why shouldn't they also learn about their philosophical and religious underpinnings?
Intelligent Design offers a rational and alternate way of looking at the evidence
for our origins. Irrational fears about such ideas somehow "undermining the
whole system of secular education" should not be allowed to dominate the
discussion.
Couldn't it be a possibility that the "whole system of secular education"
is in fact part of the problem? Could it be that the very materialist/naturalist/reductionist
nature of secular education doesn't adequately equip us to live in the real world?
Mungo's own reliance on the obvious existence of universal human values is
a tacit admission that the most important things in life are not in fact "secular".
So why insist that our education system remain exclusively so?
John Hannaford
Ballina
Middle Head reunion
On Saturday, September 24, a 25 year reunion is being held for those who were
involved in a protest against the sandmining of Middle Head Beach near Kempsey,
in 1980.
A number of people from the Northern Rivers area were involved in the protest
including, many who were involved in the rainforest protest at Terania Creek in
1979.
The reunion will be at 2pm at Middle Head Beach and that evening at the Scotts
Head Bowling Club. For more information please contact Robert Rosen on 66851090
or Peter Geddes on 66537676.
Robert Rosen
Brunswick Heads
Out of steam
During WW2 there were steam trucks operating in Lismore, but they all seemed
to vanish within a year. People who asked why, were told, "Can't get parts
- the war, you know".
In the early '70s a petrol strike brought Sydney to a standstill. Workers were
being laid off, but one factory broke out the gas producers they'd used during
the war, and within hours, were making deliveries. Then they were ordered to stop.
The manager had been given a curt order, to "cease and desist". Any
client who accepted a delivery by a vehicle powered by non-conventional (non oil
powered) fuel would be foreclosed on and blacklisted out of business.
For some years, in the second decade of last century, the world land speed
record was held by a steam car. The Stanley steam car was an extraordinary vehicle.
The Stanley Brothers were brilliant men, but total eccentrics. If they didn't
approve your lifestyle they wouldn't sell you a car, and they made no provision
for the business to carry on after them.
Contrary to popular mythology, this did not lock up the Stanley, quite the
contrary. The patents on the Stanley expired before WW2. The specifications aren't
hard to get hold of. Any decent workshop could build a duplicate. It's the same
with the "Doubell", the French car that hit the market in 1938. It sent
a shockwave right through the oil industry.
In the 70's, Frank Pritchard drove his steam car from Melbourne to Canberra
on powered coal, cheap, non-polluting, top speed 130mph. Joh tried to re-open
an old foundry in Queensland to go into production, but 'my goodness me"
somebody put a stop to that.
The stranglehold the oil companies have on the world is all built on lies.
Eddie Burns
Nimbin
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