I WRITE in response to Jennifer Hutchinson’s letter Clear Message (Mail, 11 September).
May I add some scepticism to her endorsement of McEwen MP Fran Bailey on the glowing letter?
After all, this is a minister, on record, who supports nuclear power stations in tourist areas and who won the Crikey website’s most politically stupid award by encouraging the protection of the Great Barrier Reef from coral bleaching by erecting giant shade sails so as to provide shade. Not forgetting, the reef apparently covers an area the size of Britain and Ireland combined.
Who needs Sir Nicholas Stern when we have Ms Bailey at the helm? Eat your heart out, Al Gore.
As we are painfully aware, this out of touch Federal Government has always sat on its backside never wanting to acknowledge that we face a changing climate.
The term climate change continues to be a dirty word with this stale and out of touch Government, which is hell-bent on keeping in fashion with the big boys of town.
“No environment, no business”
Is Ms Bailey touting election grabs and endorsements through the means of cash?
Fourteen years on as John Howard’s representative, there has been consistent denial of climate change and the effect it will have on businesses and individuals alike.
Trevor M Mays
ALP President
Healesville/Marysville
Coranderrk connection
CORANDERRK was established for clans from the Kulen Nation.
My grandmother, Elizabeth Davis, came to Coranderrk with her mother (Hiled) in the 1870s.
My grandfather came with his mother (Bascombe) about the same time.
The Peters family visited Coranderrk many times in the 1930s. Jemima and Tom Dunnolly, Billy and Dan Russell, with the David Clan were permitted to remain at Coranderrk after its closure.
They remained there until late 1930s to early ‘40s. My mother, Daisy Peters, was born in 1903 on the reserve as was my sister, Beryl in 1928.
Several families in Healesville are descendants of Coranderrk. There are many families throughout Victoria who have this connection with a special place, which should always remain under the name of Coranderrk and we should remember that all descendants belong to this reserve.
Elizabeth Davis was locally the last surviving resident of Coranderrk.
She died in 1957 and is buried at Healesville cemetery.
Dot Peters
Elder
Healesville
Not much choice
IF ANYONE intends voting for Kevin Rudd, they should immediately move to his electorate in Queensland, and enrol before it’s too late.
Otherwise the choice of candidate is very limited. A galaxy of union stars and radical student bodies; so-called high profile candidates (in whose opinion?) parachuted into electorates they neither live in nor have knowledge of, and some re-cycled ex-state members of parliament. Not a rock star between them.
A case of pick-a-union.
Why are there no local identities putting up their hands to stand as candidates for Labor?
The grinning face of Kevin 07 is not the one you will see in your electorate.
June Delbridge
Lilydale
Fire warning
THANKS to the CFA volunteers who saved our home from the fire (Firefighters Battle Plantation Blaze, Mail 4 September).
As the fire season approaches again this will hopefully highlight the need to take proper care of fires, particularly on days of high wind, and not light them beside highly inflammable bush in the first place.
Peter Holz
Dixons Creek
Vote to end war
WITH the federal election getting nearer it’s time for the voters in the electorate of McEwen to think about Australia’s place in the world.
There are many categories to think about but surely top of the list is Australia’s responsibility to act as a humanitarian country.
Upon examination of the last three years we should be ashamed of our brutal and blind support for the USA’s invasion of Iraq.
I have just read Joshua Key’s book A Deserter’s Tale about a young American soldier and the hideous reality of war. Mr Key describes how the stated intention of his unit was the job of “arresting terrorists”.
Over a period of 18 months the soldier was involved in countless raids that only succeeded in mass arrests of male civilians “over the height of five feet.”
Mr Key explains how the soldier deserted the US Army because of the cruelty and pointlessness of the war. He explains that despite many raids by his unit not one bona fide terrorist was discovered. Innocent unarmed Iraqi men were taken from their families and taken to lonely reception centres like Abu Ghraib.
I urge voters in McEwen to make a statement against the war by voting against Fran Bailey. The Liberals intend to continue Australia’s involvement in Iraq and have no exit strategy.
Vote for Labor candidate Rob Mitchell and help put an end to this unconscionable war.
Esther Mitchell
Warburton
ON BEHALF of the oldest staircase (1889) in the Shire of Yarra Ranges located within the Lillydale Museum (former Shire of Lillydale offices) and now destined for demolition, I would like to thank the four councillors, Keane, McRae, Dunn and Cliff, for voting for its protection and its right to showcase itself for future generations to come.
Unfortunately financial concerns and grandiose plans seem to run the powers that be in the shire. The staircase will now be demolished to make way for the storage of tables and chairs!
As in the words of one objector: “Each and everyone of the current shire employees is just a temporary custodian of that building. One hundred years from now will people be looking at some picture in an obsolete book of a beautiful staircase, lamenting the fact that a few short-sighted people deemed it not worthy of saving. Retrospect is a wonderful thing indeed, but demolition is forever and cannot be undone.”
A word of advice if you are an applicant, submitter or objector in the Shire of Yarra Ranges, make sure you check council agendas at the Customer Service Offices on the Friday prior to the Tuesday meeting.
The shire’s letters of notice of a meeting concerning your issue may never arrive, especially if your submission does not support the council plans.
The objectors of the staircase are still waiting for their letters. I’ll possibly be in a nursing home before mine arrives!
Elena Biggs
Millgrove
Uneventful bus trip
REGARDING public transport between Marysville and Melbourne, this takes the form of a V/Line coach still bearing the name McKenzie’s, but the operator has new owners. We are grateful for this lifeline to and from our city.
But appreciation wore a little thin on 6 September.
The coach left Marysville at 9.40am, arriving at the Spencer Street terminal at 12.30pm. The city then delighted us for two and a quarter hours (allowing the bare minimum of 15 minutes to return to the bus terminal). Departure was at 3pm.
The coach travelled smoothly and uneventfully till we reached the designated Lilydale Railway Station. One of the new passengers was a young mother with a toddler, a pusher/pram plus a small dog (in an overnight bag). The lady requested that the pusher be put inside the bus and not in the luggage compartment. Driver Steve left his seat and unlocked the wheelchair door. Eventually all the paraphernalia was loaded inside.
Our journey continued to Healesville. Information received here was that we were required to change buses. This took considerable time, relocating luggage, parcels, equipment and passengers.
Then the business of adding the pusher paraphernalia was repeated as before. At last, our journey resumed off over the spur. But not for long – we stopped again – firstly to let traffic pass, then some phone calls.
Was the second coach better or worse than the previous one? Eventually more travel allowed us to reach the destination of Marysville at 5.55pm.
My husband had sat in the car waiting for the bus since 4.50pm. He was not amused!
The public transport equation reads: Travel by coach from Marysville to Melbourne equals two hours and 45 minutes, time in Melbourne equals two hours and 15 minutes, travel by coach to Marysville equals approximately three hours.
Conclusion – it’s barely worth the trip. (This letter is not a criticism of the drivers who are superb, kind and helpful).
Further plea. Perhaps Fran Bailey could assist in this transport problem?
Elaine Postlethwaite
Marysville
