Not heard last over rifle range

TO paraphrase Abe Lincoln, “You can please all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you can’t please all the people all the time”.

So it goes with most political decisions impacting the social fabric of a community and the Defence Housing Australia plan for residential development of Mount Lofty Rifle Range (MLRR) appears to be no exception; apart from not pleasing all the people for even some of the time.

In the past 60 years I have experienced more than passing interest in MLRR: in the 1950s living within hearing distance of the range, I also fired on it as a NASHO serving in 25 RQR; in the 1960s worked as member of the butt party for rifle club shoots and on later occasions I passed it so my young family could observe the horses on agistment within its boundary.

In the late 1990s, when a “Toowoomba Regional Transport Network Study” addressed Toowoomba’s Second Range Crossing, a suggested alternative southern path up Main Range leading to the pilot tunnel passed through MLRR property.

That southern route was rejected in favour of a northerly path.

The Way We Were (TC, 29/9/2011) featured a photograph with inset of a rifle club shoot at Toowoomba Rifle Range and indicated the site had been used for that purpose since the late 1800s. The same edition carried an article by Glen McCullough, sports writer, concerning the doubtful future use of the Commonwealth facility; given the then temporary closure and possible sale by ADF.

Returning to the premise at paragraph one; last week Mayor Antonio announced on ABC radio TRC is “pleased” with and likely to approve DHA’s development of MLRR (under provisional conditions).

However, some residents close to MLRR are exceedingly “displeased” (TC, 1/3/2017).

We have not heard the last of MLRR development dissension. Remember the Garnet Lehmann detention basin fiasco.