Letters
Dear Tourist To quote from a recent Mandy Nolan column, Dear Tourist. You’re killing us. While it is not entirely your fault, Byron is a lovely place to be a tourist;I fear it is way past the time for tourists to pay their fair share of use of resources. As a permanent resident I’m tired of trying to use what’s left of the internet when Byron continues to accept more and more tourists beyond the town’s capacity to cope. Stories abound as to the economic benefit that tourism brings yet all we get is a one-sided calculation. What is forgotten (conveniently) is the negative impact on the local residents trying to conduct their business and lives. The productivity (which is calculable) of the locals is severely diminished and is never taken off the benefits column to give a real net value of tourism. So, ‘Dear Council. You’re killing us’ by not culling nor billing the tourists adequately enough to contribute to providing decent infrastructure or compensation for the locals to have reasonably productive lives. Neil Matterson Byron Bay
Careless dog owners I am a 74-year-old resident of Brunswick Heads and have enjoyed the simple pleasure of my daily walk along our beautiful beach since moving here four years ago from nearby Myocum. Last Monday I was knocked off my feet by two largish dogs in the leash free area. They came from behind so I had no chance to avoid them. I was stunned and in pain but was helped up by a surfer and a friend who helped me
back to the life savers’ lookout while she went home for her husband and their vehicle. Another kind couple assisted me to get closer to the road and waited with me until I was picked up and driven home. One dog owner did come forward to ask if I was okay and then left the beach, I was unaware if there was an owner of the other dog. I enjoy the dogs and their antics and freedoms on the beach, but would ask that dog owners be in control of the bigger dogs when off lead, especially when the many walkers pass through the designated dog zone. I have a cut to one leg (possibly from a stick), sprained wrist and a broken bone in my foot so I will not be able to enjoy this simple pleasure for many weeks, and will need to rely on family members to help through the festive season and all it entails, while I get used to walking with crutches. Not so happy, Jan! Caroline Sutherland Brunswick Heads
Seven Mile Beach Rd It’s easy to understand why surfers and other long-term lovers of Broken Head Nature reserve are enraged about the No Standing signs and the rocks. And easy to see the Seven Mile Beach Road wrangle as a story of privileged landowners wanting to keep other people off their turf. Maybe this is one thread of the story, but this is not a simple black-and-white issue about access. It is, most importantly, about a precious and fragile littoral rainforest, containing several rare and endangered species. There is genuine cause for
concern for its survival under the pressure of greatly increased traffic. Because unfortunately along with respectful nature lovers who have been coming here for years, there are also some disrespectful and irresponsible folk – campers whose fires could bring irreversible catastrophe on this precious area, drivers whose speeding vehicles are downright dangerous along the winding dirt road. Three decades ago, I used to camp in my van at the end of the road. A cherished memory of an experience I would wish to be available to other low-impact visitors. And nowadays I am blessed to be one of the privileged landowners on Seven Mile Beach Road. Many of the neighbours here are passionate environmentalists, bush regenerators, tree-planters and carers for the land. They are deeply worried about the impact of traffic and illegal camping on this beloved place. Personally I hate those ugly, unfriendly red signs along the road. And I totally understand the indignation they’ve aroused. I do not know what the solution is to this situation – but I’m pretty sure that simplistic fingerpointing and blaming is not it! For the sake of that magical forest and coastline and all of us who love it – I hope we can find a way to sort this out. Jane Abercrombie Mullumbimby
THE
Vaccination confusion Yes, at last I have it in writing: we can enrol unvaccinated children for the future years beyond 2018, as long as we complete the full enrolment guidelines as per our enrolment policy. The cut-off will be just after 2022 as we must have a copy of birth certificates,
which means babies born now can be accepted but any born after this year cannot. It has been incredibly stressful and confusing and there should have been clearer guidelines; it really needed to be spelt out. The wording was they must be enrolled for commencement in 2018, but it wasn’t clear that we could also enrol children now for commencement in 2019, 2020, 2021 and even 2022. If all the Shire’s preschool directors have been utterly confused and frustrated by this change, then obviously it has been too murky and grey; one preschool director even had to have lawyers look into it. The fear of fines as well as a black mark have been hanging over us and we all just want to comply with the law and regulations. I personally was initially given misleading information from the Health Department but was one of the lucky ones who received a call back to say she had given out wrong information and continued on next page
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Australian rights I was shocked to hear that the Queensland Government was ready to extinguish Native Title rights of the Wangan and Jagalingou traditional owners of the land on which the
Letters to the Editor Send to Letters Editor Aslan Shand, 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.
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project will wreak on their culture, environment and ancestral lands. Why isn’t the government listening to them? I encourage your readers to register their objection to this injustice on our First Australians by sending an email to Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk: thepremier@premiers.qld. gov.au, Queensland deputy premier Jackie Trad: deputy. premier@ministerial.qld.gov. au, and Queensland minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy the Hon Dr Anthony Lynham MP: sdnrm@ ministerial.qld.gov.au. Lynette Dickinson Pottsville
Adani Carmichael coal mine is set to be built, even though on four occasions since 2012 the W&J traditional owners had voted unanimously at an authorisation meeting to reject an Indigenous Land Use Agreement with Adani, underlining their sustained opposition to the mine. However, the government had refused to wait until their Federal Court case to challenge extinguishment of their Native Title rights is heard next March. Subsequent to thousands of emails and phone calls of objection being sent to the Queensland premier, deputy premier and minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy, this week the W&J traditional owners have been granted an interim injunction against the Queensland Government and Adani. This gives them respite so that their case against the extinguishment of their Native Title rights can be heard in the Federal Court. However, there is no guarantee that they will win the court case. As if our Indigenous people have not suffered enough! We have invaded their land, murdered their people, stolen their children and wages, and destroyed their culture. They fought long and hard for Native Title rights over their land. Why is another blow being inflicted on our First Australians? It seems that Native Title rights are simply a symbolic gesture that can be retracted at any time that development and dollars get in the way. The W&J traditional owners strenuously object to the Adani Carmichael coal mine and deplore the degradation that the Adani mining
THE BAY COLLECTIVE Sunday 31 December
NYE WHITE PARTY PINK ZINK & THE SWAMPS Monday 1 January
RAGGA JUMP
Tuesday 2 January
BREAKING TRAD Wednesday 3 January
FRIENDLY ENEMIES TRIO The Byron Shire Echo December 27, 2017 9