I WAS flabbergasted to read an insinuation that I was opposed to any project for health services in Yarra Junction.
On the contrary, I have been a strong advocate for health service delivery to be increased and located in Yarra Junction, a perfect medium between Warburton and Woori Yallock.
What has been announced is funding for salaries for GPs in Healesville.
The Federal Member has claimed that this announcement is a delivery of her election commitment for an after hours GP clinic in the Upper Yarra. It is not.
Fran Bailey has changed her tune after previously arguing, as recently as June this year, that Woori Yallock was the ideal location for an after hours GP clinic.
Now she has suddenly switched and moved what was supposed to be an Upper Yarra health service 35 kilometres away to the Yarra Valley.
They are two different areas.
They are adjacent but they are not the same. This delivers nothing for the health needs of people in the Upper Yarra
In the Mail on 21 June 2005, Ms Bailey said she was continuing to lobby for a service at the former Board of Works site in Woori Yallock and “that a service in Woori Yallock would best meet the after hours health needs of communities within both the Yarra Valley and the Upper Yarra”.
What has changed since these comments were made?
She continued that: “Woori Yallock was chosen by those of us who have been working on this issue long before the emergence of Ms Lobato, because it was the most central site for those who may need to access the service”.
She also actively opposed my commitment to services in Yarra Junction.
In April 2005 in the Mail, Ms Bailey attacked the Eastern Ranges GP Association that proposed a service in Montrose.
At that time, she said: “There is no justice in such an underhanded move by this organisation. This rogue action means that Mr Rowe has chosen to ignore the area of greatest needwhich is clearly communities in the Upper Yarra”.
She clearly identified the Upper Yarra as the area of greatest need and said that a service proposed to be delivered in Montrose was off the mark.
Now, she is claiming that a clinic in Healesville 32 kilometres away from Warburton is somehow a service to the Upper Yarra when a clinic in Montrose 38 kilometres from Warburton was a “rogue action”. They are both over 30 kilometres away.
If this is a satisfactory outcome for the residents of the Upper Yarra, I too will celebrate it. However, commonsense tells me that residents voted for health service delivery to the Upper Yarra and we have all been duped!
Tammy Lobato
Gembrook MP
DOES some super brain sit down behind his desk with his feet up and throw a dart at a dart board and say, yep, that will be this week’s speed limit on the Warburton Highway?
It changes faster than I change my little boy’s nappy.
The local boys must be making a fortune in fines. What do I do, sit on 60 km/h to be safe? It’s a joke.
Geoff Aarons
Launching Place
I AGREE with Val Owen (Hoons On Hitlist, Mail 25 October).
Unfortunately we don’t have enough police. I have complained to the officerincharge at Healesville many times in regard to hoons being idiots, especially at the corner of Don Road and Maroondah Highway.
I have been told that if I can get a photo of the idiots, police can give them a good kick in the backside.
There is a small problem with that one for me. I’m one of two school crossing supervisors at that section of road and if we start taking photos we will find ourselves in a lot of trouble.
School children use that section of road and the idiots take great joy in doing wheelies, broad siding nearly up to the swimming pool, which will one day cause a bad accident.
We have had a death at the particular intersection, however our memories are shortlived.
I have had the unwanted task of cleaning the road of debris from idiots.
There is another problem some of the idiots are aged in their 30s and 40s and the best time to catch these is from 3.30pm to 4pm or 7.45am to 9am and mothers running late for school are the worse offenders.
If you don’t believe me come up to the East End school crossing when we’ve had some rain.
I hope this will be of help to Insp Mick Beattie. I hope we can get some extra police to catch these idiots.
I asked for the speed limit to be dropped to 40kmh but that has fallen to deaf ears, so where do we go from here?
I”m also a volunteer in the local SES which makes me very angry when these idiots do their thing.
Max Murray
Healesville
IT IS quite interesting to read letters from Liberal Party members June Delbridge and Scott Forrest criticising the apparent lack of progress on the Lilydale Super Clinic.
Given that the former Liberal Government closed hospitals, privatised utilities, cut public transport and closed schools throughout the State they are the ones suffering repressed memory.
It has been my absolute pleasure during my first term in government to achieve a $15 million health facility, $23 million for the reticulation of natural gas, increase public transport services, provide major upgrades to local schools and road infrastructure improvements.
I am committed to delivering a super clinic to this region and I make no apology for taking the time to ensure that this first class facility is properly planned and resourced.
Engaging with communities in my electorate has been my top priority, and I will continue to work to provide the best possible outcomes for Evelyn.
Heather McTaggart
Evelyn MP
NEARLY four months ago, my husband passed away with prostate cancer.
While he was alive the community supported us well with prostate cancer support group, carers support group, palliative care, district nurses and respite care at Healesville Hospital.
However once Nick passed away the family was left to grieve as best they could. The support of family and friends has been fantastic but there is nothing like talking to someone who has been through the same experience. I turned to a trained grief counsellor, Mary Reilly, who has helped me enormously.
My next step is to encourage others who have been bereaved because of the death of a partner to form a group to try to help one another with a common bond.
Anyone interested can ring 5962 2033.
Sandra Schoffer
Healesville
I IMPLORE June Delbridge (Mail, 25 October) to stop the super clinic smokescreen.
These are the facts. There were 1300 individual and group objectors, including all the major churches in the Upper Yarra Valleys and their associated support services, against this planning proposal endorsed by the commissioners, which included Christine Fyffe. Even the Reverend Tim Costello and politicians from both sides of the political spectrum supported the Yarra Junction AntiGaming Action group in their fight to stop this casino.
Repressed memory?
I recall the public relations launch of the muchmaligned Warburton Mountain Resort was held at Ms Fyffe’s Yarra Burn Winery at Yarra Junction. Again we are talking about her condoning an issue that has galvanised the community to strongly object to another inappropriate planning application for the Upper Yarra. This is a “today” issue and over a year later, VCAT is struggling to bring a decision on this development. So tell me Scott Forrest, how many more issues should I drag out of my repressed memory?
Jim Nicholson
Warburton
