to see the number of people availing themselves of the fresh breads and rolls in your store, thereby immediately reducing the number of customers to the bakery, also hurt by the range of cakes in the coffee bar. I am a shareholder in your company. And I can assure you that I would rather have a slightly smaller profit than one derived from running small businesses into the ground. All your store needs is to – now, finally – have the wider choice of items in your aisles that other Woolworths stores have. And to have a heart and support your business neighbours by not setting up in direct competition against them on the small range of items that they are marketing to survive. I look forward to hearing from you with the hope that there will be a slight change in your business model, in order to support your fellow villagers as a true member of our Coogee community. Sadly, I got no response to that. And I should point out that from what I've seen of other Woolworths stores, a front of store coffee bar is not a typical design of their supermarkets. So now I'm taking the next step and appealing to what I would think is a pretty substantial Coogee readership of The Beast to go on supporting the Coogee Village deli and bakery, and help them to survive in their David and Goliath situation. ANNE RING COOGEE COLES DOESN’T CARE Dear editor - Readers need not look far for the kind of corporate behaviour that prompted the banking royal commission. I live in Pacific Square, above Coles, one of the two supermarkets in Australia that enjoy a cosy and profitable duopoly. Apparently shoddy construction means the use of hammers
14 The Beast April 2019
or power tools in Coles reverberates up through the walls and into the apartments above. It's like trying to sleep while a dentist applies the drill. Told by Randwick Council to work only during business hours, how did Coles respond? With profuse apologies and assurances there would be no repeat (I have a letter from the council that says as much), before resuming night time work anyway. Cue me at midnight standing in front of a mob of contractors in my pyjamas begging them to comply with the council’s guidance. The point is, Coles would far prefer to keep residents awake at night than risk losing a few bucks by doing the work during the day. Meanwhile, the manager of Coles, along with staff from Excel Building Management and Charter Hall, shrug their shoulders and head home for a night of undisturbed sleep. The blatant disregard for community and “doing the right thing” is exactly the type of behaviour the banking royal commission upbraided. Yet here it is being repeated in our backyard. What’s worse, there is a series of small businesses in Pacific Square that have carried out complete refits and not once disturbed those living upstairs. They’ve shut up shop, put their heads down and got the work done during business hours. They deserve our gratitude, respect and custom. Is it any wonder that the electorate feels zero sympathy for big business? JOANNA MATHER MAROUBRA HEAR HEAR, THOMAS Thanks for an excellent article Thomas from Coogee (Drugging Madness, Monthly Mailbag, The Beast, March 2019). I agree 100 per cent with your comments and opinions. I wish more
people would not only open their eyes to see the 'Australian' drug problem from a broader perspective, but also the way of life we are supposed to live in today's modern and highly competitive world. Let's think a bit harder and stop buying things we don't need and work less for people we don't know. BRANO SYDNEY ARISE SIR THOMAS Who is this well-read hero Sir Thomas of Coogee (Drugging Madness, Monthly Mailbag, The Beast, March 2019)? More like him, more like him please. NAME AND ADDRESS NOT PROVIDED SILENCE IS DEAFENING Dear editors - I read with interest the response from a ‘Spokesperson from Transport for NSW’ (Transport for NSW Reply to Anthony Parelli, Monthly Mailbag, The Beast, March 2019) regarding my letter published in the February edition (Thrown Under the Bus, Monthly Mailbag, The Beast, February 2019). For a moment I thought that I was reading from a Yes Minister script. I suggest that the spokesperson should read a copy of the Transport for NSW 'Disability Inclusion Action Plan 2018-2022' and see if the intentions of the plan to ensure DDA requirements were taken into account when making these changes. Let's look at the suggestions mentioned in the note: 1. Use an alternative Community Transport Service - The Transport spokesperson should have mentioned that as good as the Randwick-Waverley Community Transport is for seniors, and after meeting prescribed conditions, the service comes at a higher cost and its resources are quite limited. Last time I looked at this service it was $15 for a return trip to Bondi Junction.