YOUR VIEWS

WRITE TO:P0 Box 1, Southport 4215 EMAIL: letters@goldcoast.com.au FACEBOOK: facebook.com/goldcoastbulletin

IT’S always unfortunate when businesses lose trade as a result of roads closed for major events. (‘Road closure to put brake on business’ GCB 6/2).

Several such businesses are dreading the two weeks of the Gold Coast Games as they despair over lost income.

Meanwhile, other businesses will be clapping their hands to the sound of ‘Money, money, money’ as profits soar.

With the council and government skiting at the massive boost to the economy the area will receive, it’s a pity some, even small compensation, is not afforded these businesses. KEN JOHNSTON

I CAN’T believe how many close calls I’ve had and watched other people have crossing pedestrian crossings in Coolangatta.

This morning a Gold Coast Council ute missed this guy who was in the middle of the crossing by centimetres. Wish I’d got his rego number.

Yes I always stop at the curb and wait till cars stop. It seems to happen when the road is clear and you start crossing and cars appear and just don’t see you. A marked crossing is not always safe. JILL KINERSON

THE Queensland government is not interested in cyber bullying in schools.

The government must demonstrate leadership and be proactive in banning mobile phones in schools, not ducking the issue, saying it’s up to the schools.

Bullying via mobiles should be a serious crime. It causes all sorts of mental stress on vulnerable children. All too often we see reports of death and injury caused by this insidious cyber crime.

Our Labor government is putting its head in the sand and hopes that this crisis will somehow go away.

Passing the buck is weak governance. Cyber bullying needs legislation. DICK SAYER, MERMAID WATERS

IT should be blatantly obvious to the protesters re: the filling in of Black Swan Lake for the controversial future car parking facility instigated by the Gold Coast Turf Club that all efforts past and present to preserve this natural wildlife habitat will of course fall on deaf ears, and the project will go ahead.

It has been reported in the media a complaint was filed to the Crime and Corruption Commission last September (GCB 5/2) alleging that nine – yes nine – of the city’s 15 elected representatives had failed in their Register of Interests to declare honorary membership of the Gold Coast Turf Club.

If this accusation that nine out of 15 councillors are members of the Turf Club, some if not all honorary members, is proven correct, then protesting against filling in Black Swan Lake would surely be, common sense prevailing, a foregone conclusion. In fact, for want of a better phase “protesters are flogging a dead horse” so to speak.

I write this as I think all this conjecture due to the above facts, the publicity and efforts being put in by wildlife protesters – and I am one of them – is a complete waste of time. “TEZZA” STOLLERY, SOUTHPORT

WHERE does this all stop?

Not long ago we lost our beautiful show grounds to a village that will house athletes for two weeks only but that public amenity will be flogged off to developers at the end of that time and be lost to the community for ever.

Now we see the Black Swan Lake that is public property and not a toxic pit, as reported by the Bulletin (7/2), gifted to the Gold Coast Turf Club.

It was also revealed, by the same report, it will be closed to public access at the whim of Gold Coast

Turf Club, of which many councilors voting on this issue are members.

According to Tom Tate’s philosophy, eating eel (almost certainly imported) will protect the swans – should we all be eating cats to protect native birds and small animals?

Maybe Peter Young and a couple of others have their head in the right place but I am fed up with this lot of grafters, let’s get rid of them. RAY MURRAY, COOMERA

THE people protesting about this lake do use “rent a crowd”, they tried to recruit a person I have known for 50 years who does not live on the Gold Coast, has never come to the Gold Coast and has no idea where the lake is.

You ask for reasons why the rest of the people don’t care and why the turf club can do what they want with it.

1 No one goes there except for those who walk their dogs or belong to the bird watching society;

2 The birds are seen in Clear Island Lake (10m away), they are seen in the canal that runs under Racecourse Drive and in the other canal that runs next to the Boral Concrete Plant as well as Clear Island Lake;

3 The locals are horse lovers and have no interest other than to see their noble animals have the best (racehorses and yard horses).

Run off from the stables will constantly pollute the “Borrow Pit” every time it rains.

These are facts the public knows and sees every time it rains.

The public in general will not support you and the council and the turf club know this, no matter how many poll figures you can fudge because no one but you people were interested to vote in it. RON NIGHTINGALE BIGGERA WATERS