WE know that Healesville is famous for its animal sanctuary, but how many people are aware of another sanctuary nestling in the hillside to the north of the town a sanctuary called Healesville and District Hospital.
I spent a week there and wish to say how much I appreciate the kindness and thoughtfulness of the staff.
I felt as if I was being cared for by friends and not just a bed number. Even when I left, the follow up made sure I had everything that I needed.
So, let’s hand a bouquet to the staff of the hospital. Congratulations. Keep up the good work.
Kath George
Yarra Junction
I TOOK my children into the forest in winter. We walked so that we could fully appreciate the sights, sounds and smells.
Immediately we were awe inspired by the mighty mountain ash trees.
At 60 metres in height they were impressive, but I wondered if they would ever reach the 132.6 metres recorded at Healesville in 1872 (which the Guiness Book of Records claims is the world’s tallest tree ever).
As we meandered further along the narrow dirt track we soon acclimatised to the crisp fresh air and pungent aroma. Our senses responded to the subtleties of the bush.
The verdant mosses dripped with moisture and eager eyes located the tiny delicate wood fungi, Mycena interrupter, and the beautiful blue/yellow hues of the Dermocybe austroveneta.
There was much debate about the small holes in the ground and we decided they were made by the nocturnal land yabbies.
The shrill call of the lyrebird immediately captured our attention so piercing how could a single bird make such a variety of sounds?
We inspected a tall old dead stump with many spiders in residence. It was disintegrating, or more exactly, recycling the nutrients it no longer needed.
Maybe one of Victoria’s faunal emblems, the endemic and endangered Leadbeaters possum, at that moment was sleeping in the hollow at the top.
After a while there was need of refreshment. The cool water of the mountain stream was on hand and plentiful perfectly clear, pure and satisfying. There was no mention of computer games or videos from any of the children. The forest had absorbed and entertained all ages for hours.
It had cost us nothing in monetary terms but we were richer for the experience, and more understanding of the autonomy of nature and the needs of all the animals that share the forests.
Ian Whitford
Steels Creek
I WRITE in response to Chelsea McNab’s letter Treading Carefully and Sarah Rees’ letter The Ignorant Few (Mail, 19 July).
It may appear quite simple to Chelsea McNab that if you log a forest, graze the alps or ride a trail bike you will damage the environment.
Without overstating the obvious, it is also apparent that if you build a house, plant a lawn and landscape the garden you are also causing damage and destroying biodiversity.
It’s a fact of life, however, that building the house and doing the landscaping is widely considered an improvement which adds value to the property.
I mention this because it’s about time that Ms McNab faced up to a few realities in between her sentimental green day dreams.
The facts that Ms McNab are unfamiliar with are that eucalypt forests regenerate through disturbance, grazing the alps is a valuable management tool in the face of the unprecedented fuel buildup in subalpine areas and trail biking is a recreational activity no less acceptable than bushwalking.
And as far as Sarah Rees is concerned, I find being lectured on democracy by a green activist akin to being subjected to a lecture on antisemitism by David Irving.
The green movement is not interested in democracy. It is only interested in imposing its environmental agenda on our community by whichever means it finds most effective.
I find Ms Rees’ comments on our “traditional land owners” to be totally disingenuous. For example, an indigenous logger or mountain cattleman would be no more acceptable to Ms Rees than one of European descent.
The fires of January 2003, of which my family was a victim, were largely a consequence of green inspired mismanagement.
The widespread destruction of the Australian alps was a national tragedy. It will never be the same again.
One of the leading scientists responsible for evicting Mountain Cattlemen from Kosciuszko, Dick Condon, feels the same way. He now says removing the cattle was a mistake.
Eight thousand cows grazing a million acres for four months each year, 500 years of intense logging and as many trail bikes as you care to imagine could never wreak the destruction socalled environmentalists have caused to our public land. It’s time they were called to account.
Philip Maguire
Narbethong
SARAH Rees’ political skills appear to far exceed her general knowledge skills. If she rode horses around Launching Place then how could she make the statement that horses have cloven hoofs.
Correct me if I’m mistaken but isn’t Sarah Rees a member of Central Highlands Alliance and Robert Mitchell is the ALP member for Central Highlands? Is it coincidence or conspiracy? I’ll let you decide.
To Peter Wadham and his comment on me disliking or appearing to dislike anyone who cares about the environment, he is gravely mistaken.
However, in other respects he is right. There are genuine Greens whom I have no issues with. There are Green extremists (like himself and Sarah Rees) whom go to whatever radical lengths and use whatever scare mongering and bullying tactics necessary to promote their cause, which is extremely antisocial and nondemocratic. I am from the city (Doncaster) and moved out to the bush as I have always loved the country way of life.
My qualifications are in agriculture and although at present I am not employed in the field, I still enjoy riding horses, motorbikes, driving 4WDs, fishing and hunting.
However, it appears that a certain group believes these things are unethical and environmental terrorism.
Picture these areas in 10 years if all recreational user groups lose access.
Tracks will become inaccessible due to undergrowth, there will be no fire access for the CFA and wild dogs, which are already in large numbers in and around the valley and are already destroying native fauna, will be worse.
I believe a balance needs to be restored which is why I support Country Alliance objectives. The Green push has gone too far one way. Local council also appears to be dictated to by the Greens. Enough is enough.
David Risojevic
Member of Country Alliance
Launching Place
