Logo
Prev
search
Print
addthis
Rotate
Help
Next
Contents
All Pages
Browse Issues
Home
'
Mildura Weekly : Friday March 6 2015 Vol 9 No 17
Contents
10 OPINION MILDURA WEEKLY FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR In defence of arts centre Sir, When the Mildura Arts Cen- tre focus is on costs and prof- itability, let’s not forget its potential and its benefits Cr Thorburn. If our focus on costs and commercial values are con- sistent, let’s look at the prime site occupied by the two bowling clubs and what the rental or investment value is per square foot and what it is returning currently! If efficiency was THE fo- cus across the board by coun- cil, and its aims honest, the two bowls clubs would be re- located at the golf clubs and all would benefit. The arts centre is located perfectly, but it needs plan- ning to complement it and make it a regular drawcard . The last piece of adjust- ment around the Workers and the RSL clubs, and the new Quest Suites and the Centrelink next to them failed the big picture. The arts centre is an in- vestment for a town’s future. The Quest suites should have gone where the bowling clubs are, and in bigger and better format! Cheap options fail us all, but it is often the guiding consideration! The riverfront plans fail the future as well, with NO commercial benefit or JOB creation. There should have been a new tourist park and cabins next to the ten- nis club and near the paddle steamers. The tourist info office should obviously be located at the Rowers, thereby show- casing our riverfront to tour- ists. Stuart Davie Mildura Bringing back some memories Sir, Was very pleased to read about Alan Cameron’s story of the Cobb & Co tourist route from Ipswich to Toow- oomba in a recent ‘Weekly. I know this route very well as this is my home coun- try being from the township of Forest Hill between Laid- ley and Gatton. Did Alan have a coffee at either of the two cafes in For- est Hill? One is the former post office and telephone exchange now being a gift shop, cafe, and post office combined. The other, next door, was a grocery shop where Mum shopped and is now a coffee shop with great coffee and eats. The route follows where the Cobb and Co. coaches used to travel in times long ago. Alan would have passed through Grandchester – the terminus for the first railway in Qld. Its original name was Bigges Camp. This is a great drive with wonderful views of the mountains, it gets you away from the highway, and if you have the time there are wonderful side roads that you can take. Between Gatton and Grantham, yes the town that was devastated by the 2011 floods, there is a good sealed road called Heifer Creek Road that takes you up onto the Darling Downs and is a short cut to Warwick, bypass- ing Toowoomba. Icouldgoonandon about the Lockyer Valley where I grew up, but the one thing I really miss living in Mildura is the mountains and hills that surround this area. Thanks for Alan’s story, a great surprise to read it and I agree with all his comments about a tourist route down here. Eric Lee Mildura Thanks for the story Sir, Thank you Grant Maynard for your amusing story ‘Where’s my wheelie bin, wheelie bin?’ Our bin actually went missing a couple of weeks ago and we rang council to advise this. They then made us pay for a replacement but never mentioned that it was in fact them who had con- fiscated it due to their ‘bin audit’. We are now seeking a refund on the payment we made for the replacement bin. We never would have known about this ‘bin audit’ and why our bin had sud- denly disappeared if we had not read your similar story. It is very disappointing. Wheelie annoyed (Name and address sup- plied) Plea for clemency Sir, In 2004, my overseas relief fund was instrumental in repairing the lives of young people in Aceh. We became involved almost immediately after the devastating tsunami. This venture allowed us to form a partnership with Mu- hammadiyah, Indonesia’s second largest charity organi- sation. Given our relationship with Muhammadiyah and as a humanitarian, I travelled to Indonesia to plead to His Excellency President Joko Widodo for clemency for our two young Australians facing death-row – Myuran Suku- maran and Andrew Chan. Muhammadiyah officials met with me, read the let- ter I prepared for President Joko Widodo and guaranteed that my letter would reach the President personally. Muhammadiyah were very respectful and appreciative of the sentiments in my let- ter. The Muslim organisation acknowledged our own Fed- eral Government’s position on the issue: the comments Prime Minister Tony Abbott made about the $1 billion donated to Indonesia follow- ing the tsunami. They also acknowledged Foreign Minis- ter Julie Bishop tried to give a different message. For me, this trip was done as a humanitarian and I didn’t draw any media at- tention to it at the time. However, when I got back to Australia I read a quote from Mahatma Gandhi ‘Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.’ I don’t want this to be insignificant and I want to encourage others to write as well, so I’ll quote from the letter that I sent to His Excel- lency President Joko Widodo. “I travel to your Country to ask for clemency for the two Australians – Myuran Su- kumaran and Andrew Chan who are to be executed in the near future... “No matter what your decision is, I make a com- mitment to you that, if in the future, your young people are in need of international aid, I will be the first to respond.” I used my partnership with Muhammadiyah to deliver the letter, knowing full well that it might be in- significant and not change anything. As a humanitarian, I had to do something and I call on all Australians to do what they can, as soon as they can do it. Father Chris Riley Melbourne • Cr Max Thorburn at the Mildura Arts Centre. Permanent Hair Reduction Treatments by experienced registered Nurses SAVE 50% SAVE 50% in March With any purchase BUY 3 HAIR REDUCTION TREATMENTS (ANY AREA) & RECEIVE 3 FREE* Your Health, Beauty & Wellness Specialists Do you need new ‘tools’? Professional high quality brushes give you a flawless finish – Visible Effects High Quality Kabuki Makeup Brush is 1⁄2 price for March with any purchase Ph (03) 5023 3823 res@mildurainlanderresort.com.au www.mildurainlanderresort.com.au Quality Resort Inlander COME IN & ENJOY OUR GREAT FOOD, FRIENDLY SERVICE & ATMOSPHERE As part of the Car & Cash Giveaway, the Quality Resort Inlander Mildura will offer 10% off food and a free glass of house wine or beer to all guests mentioning this promotion while dining in Restaurant 373 over the next 10 weeks. RESTAURANT
Links
Archive
Friday February 27 2015 Vol 9 No 16
Friday March 13 2015 Vol 9 No 18
Navigation
Previous Page
Next Page
