Letters
Respectful ways with holiday guests I own a couple of private holiday properties in Byron and have found the following answers to the potential angst of my fellow neighbours: 1. I have provided all of my neighbours with my contact details and told them that they can call me 24/7 if they have a problem. 2. I make it very clear to my guests that my properties are not party houses and that if I get noise complaints I will be asking them to leave. 3. I charge reasonable prices so that the guests do not feel ripped off and therefore are more likely to respect my properties and neighbours. 4. I self-manage my properties so that I know exactly who is coming into my places. 5. I do not try to over-
crowd my properties to maximise my return and in actual fact prefer a couple or small family. 6. I respect and appreciate that we can all work together to make sure everyone is cared about. Over the past 20-odd years I have come to the conclusion that there are two sides to every story. I have had guests demand their money back because of drunken, unruly behaviour from next door neighbours who are in actual fact fulltime tenants who continually have very loud, drunken and verbally disgusting parties and when I approach the real estate agent handling the property I get fobbed off. When you have real estate agents managing
properties for non-residential owners there is a lack of a face-to-face opportunity to solve the problem as real estate agents have hundreds of properties and they just do not have the resources, staff or inclination to care about each and every one of us. There are many things that can be done to ensure that we all can live in harmony. Many of my guests want to stay in a home while holidaying in Byron; they do not want to herded into holiday resorts or motels. It all comes down to being fair in life and as with all things in life you will always find fair and unfair. A kneejerk response to any problem is not the solution. Tourism is a very big part of our economy and life-
Drive with care
ghanistan, slowly withdrawing, but not all the way. Now the news is America is mounting troops to go back to Iraq! The only word I can come up with is ‘warmongers’ and our government will back them all the way as they did in Vietnam. How many Aussies I wonder really do support the warmongering American government? None in my circles, that’s for sure. Paul Brecht Mullumbimby
opers on the committee for the Belongil Creek Estuary? If so, could this perhaps be a conflict of interest? Cary Mora Ewingsdale
Last Tuesday evening I was driving home from work and came across three dead possums just in Mullum. They were hit in a 50kmh school zone and an 80 zone, and left on the road to be splattered by further traffic. It was disturbing to see that the drivers couldn’t even stop to remove their bodies. Please drive with care during this highly active season for possums and echidnas. And if you hit an animal give it the same respect you would give a human: check whether it is alive, has a baby in its pouch, and remove its body from the road. R Ingram Wilsons Creek
Appropriate fatwa Could it be of any benefit if a large council of Muslim scholars and leaders came together and delivered a fatwa against terrorism, suicide and the disrespect of women? Look at what one mad mullah did to Salman Rushdie and all that flowed from that. The beautiful side of Islam has been subverted by patriarchy, tribalism and misogyny. Jim Nutter Main Arm
Vietnam 4 The American government still hasn’t learnt the lessons of defeat from the Vietnam days that took 13 years. Next came the Iraq invasion, then retreat; next is Af-
West Byron plans This is an open letter to our local developers of the proposed West Byron development. 1. Please declare who you are. As Byron Shire residents we have a right to know. At present we are dealing with a hired Queensland public relations personnel (Mr Murray). 2. We now have a newcomer, Terry Agnew, who has purchased a substantial share of land. From a recent public statement (The Australian, June 5) it is evident he is not developing the land with affordable housing for our community. In fact the cheapest block is $595,000 for a 450sqm block, up to 600sqm blocks at $750,000 to $800,000. Can the local developers still confirm that West Byron will have affordable housing included in the overall plan or will our local developers sell out to the highest bid? 3. Is one of the local devel-
Q Having
attended the recent meeting of the Byron Residents’ Assoc (BRA) it is with some regret that one has to now accept this rezoning in one form or another will occur. Having sat on all three state government planning meetings for West Byron and addressing the RBA meeting, it is now quite clear to me, after the last portion of the land recently sold to one of Sydney’s major developers, that some know a lot more in Macquarie Street than we as a community do up here in Byron Bay. Looking and moving into the future there are three issues that will need to be formally addressed that will give the community some answers, and from investigations Mr Agnew will be addressing these concerns as he is described as understanding the situation. Firstly, where is the road network going and who is paying for it, designing it and building the major and immediate Byron bypasses to facilitate the extra population and traffic needs rather than doing another study? Secondly, the sewerage system we have has now been advised as nearing capacity continued on page 13
Letters to the Editor Send to Letters Editor Michael McDonald, fax: 6684 1719 email: editor@echo.net.au Deadline: Noon, Friday. Letters longer than 200 words may be cut. Letters already published in other papers will not be considered. Please include your full name, address and phone number for verification purposes.
North Coast news daily: www.echonetdaily.net.au
style and offers many of us the opportunity to live and work in this amazing place. If you live next to a holiday home, find out who owns it and approach them directly to let them know how you feel. Many owners are just not aware of how much disharmony their guests are causing because they use real estate agents and live outside the region. And the most important thing is to be fair. I would prefer to have holiday guests staying next door to me than permanent residents who believe it is their god-given right to party five nights a week with music blaring. At least the noisy holiday guests leave. Lois Vickery-Hall Byron Bay
CHAINSAW DEALS
HUGE Now On At FarmCare! • Free Esky with all Mini Boss chainsaws • Up to $150 cashback on selected chainsaws • Full range of safety and sharpening gear
MS170 BUY 1 AND GET
50% OFFAIN
A SECOND CH
Now Only
299
$
ONLY (STIHL CHAINSAWS ALL OF JULY)
Your Local
Dealer
101-105 Dalley Street, Mullumbimby
www.farmcare.com.au 02 6684 2022
THE
RAILS
THE RAILWAY FRIENDLY BAR, BYRON BAY 6685 7662 THE FAMOUS RAILS kitchen Wednesday 25 June
BO JENKINS Thursday 26 June
THE LOATHING Friday 27 June
VANESSA BAKER & THE ELECTRIC ECCLECTIC Saturday 28 June
MARK LUCAS & THE DEADSETTERS Sunday 29 June
THE CHRIS COOK BAND Monday 30 June
GUY KACHEL Tuesday 1 July
CHRIS ARONSTEN The Byron Shire Echo June 24, 2014 11