Weed it or weep

I notified council staff of several mature, weedy African Tulips growing at Crystal Cascades reserve only to be told that they are low on the list of priorities. This is the same attitude shown by other agencies, including QPWS and Wet Tropics Management Authority when made aware of these weeds growing on their lands.

Will their control become a priority only when our slopes are covered in their noxious red flowers, like most of Fiji? This is the same thinking that has enabled yellow crazy ants to spread over such a large area.The old adage, a stitch in time saves nine, springs to mind. Jeff Middleton, Redlynch 1914: Germany invades Belgium and when London’s ultimatum to Berlin to withdraw expires at midnight, Britain declares war on Germany; the US declares its neutrality. 1944: Nazi police capture 14-year-old Anne Frank and seven other Jews in hiding places in Amsterdam. 1986: Britain’s Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher reluctantly offers to impose limited sanctions against South Africa. 1993: Japan formally apologises for the first time to women forced to serve its soldiers as sex slaves during World War II. 1995: Croatia launches a massive attack on breakaway Serbs, bombarding rebel towns and shelling UN peacekeepers who refuse to get out of the way. 2000: Queen Mother Elizabeth celebrates her 100th birthday as thousands line the roads of London to cheer her. BIRTHDAYS: Percy Bysshe Shelley, English poet (1792-1822); Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (19002002); Louis Armstrong, US jazz musician (1901-1971); Billy Bob Thornton, US actor/director (1955-); Barack Obama, American president (1961-); Jessica Mauboy, Australian singer-songwriter and actress (1989-) (above).