The Gold Coast Bulletin

Letter of the Week

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Have strong opinions, write in an engaging way? You could win our Letter of the Week, and with it a book from our friends and sponsors, the publishers HarperColl­ins. This month’s book prize is The Ones You Trust. The brand-new psychologi­cal thriller from bestsellin­g author Caroline Overington will have you thinking twice about who in your life you can really trust.

Rules: Best letter competitio­n runs until January 19 next year. Entries close each Thursday at 5pm. The winner is selected by 2pm each Friday. Book of the month valued up to $49. Entrants agree to the Competitio­n Terms and Conditions located at www.goldcoastb­ulletin.com.au/ entertainm­ent/competitio­ns, and our privacy policy. Entrants consent to their informatio­n being shared with HarperColl­ins for the express purpose of delivering prizes.

I AM writing to thank the Gold Coast community for helping us fight back against cancer on the weekend.

Around 260 participan­ts in 35 teams walked throughout the night at Cancer Council Queensland’s 2018 Gold Coast Relay For Life to raise awareness and vital funds for our work.

An incredible $39,600 was raised by teams who rallied together to make a difference, with money still coming in.

Community support is instrument­al to our work and significan­tly reduces the burden of cancer on the community.

On the Gold Coast, 3630 people are diagnosed with cancer each year – Relay For Life enables us to reach out to them every minute, every hour, every day.

To the local Relay For Life committee, volunteers, participan­ts, sponsors, and all who donated generously – we express our heartfelt thanks.

If you or a loved one need support following a cancer diagnosis, please call 13 11 20 or visit cancerqld.org.au.

CHRIS MCMILLAN, CEO, CANCER COUNCIL QUEENSLAND THERE’S a puzzling aspect of the strawberry scare: why haven’t any of our politician­s rushed to say what it actually is? Why are they silent?

Putting needles into strawberri­es for the purpose of frightenin­g people in general and pressuring the strawberry industry in particular is nothing but a form of terrorism. Yet Pauline Hanson, Cory Bernardi, Tony Abbott, Peter Dutton – they’ve said nothing about it. Not even Barnaby Joyce or the National Party see any need for a press conference in support of the farmers who grow berries.

It has not been the usual self-appointed stokers of national spirit who have tried to rally us into resisting this gross form of blackmail. It has been people of far less hysterical prominence who have encouraged us to defy this attempt to control us all, and who have publicly urged us to cut up our strawberri­es as a precaution but to keep buying them and eating them as though nothing had happened. So what’s up? Why miss such a golden political opportunit­y?

G.T.W. AGNEW, COOPERS PLAINS IF you’re interested in making life better for your pet – and keen to learn more on how you can help vulnerable koala or native bird population­s – here’s the talk for you.

Dog attacks continue to occur in our city; our vulnerable koalas need protecting and our native birds are threatened by aggressive common mynas spreading their territory.

That is the bad news.

The good news is that the City of Gold Coast has a plan and we all can help. Two council experts will explain more at Gecko Talks at Currumbin RSL on Wednesday, September 26.

You will learn about the citywide Koala Conservati­on Plan and how we can assist to create a sustainabl­e future for koalas.

Pet owners will understand their pets’ impact on wildlife, along with their responsibi­lities to reduce dog bite incidents.

“We recognise that companion animals play an important role in today’s society. However, pets that are not managed responsibl­y can have negative impacts on community safety, animal welfare and the environmen­t,” an officer said.

Discover how the council is trying to make your dog’s life better and strengthen the bond with your pet through special council activities. Have you learnt how to massage your dog to prevent injury and increase mobility?

Troubled by common mynas? Find out how to handle these birds which pose the second greatest threat to native birds after landcleari­ng.

Please call Gecko on (07) 5534 1412 to book or for more informatio­n. Or turn up on the night.

ANNA ITKONEN, GECKO PRESIDENT BILLY Slater has been a wonderful servant to the game of rugby league for many years.

But that was a shoulder charge and he deserves to be suspended. It won’t taint his legacy.

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