Athlone better suited to Koori centre

I understand that Baw Baw Shire Council is considering a permit application for a centre to treat addicts of the drug ‘ice’ in the disused Athlone Primary School.

There are two aspects of this application which should receive very careful attention by council.

The first aspect is the suitability or otherwise of the Athlone site for The Ice Meltdown Project (TIMP), the activities for which I understand include programs for hairdressing, beauty treatment, general education, gardening, etc.

There would appear to be no need for this type of activity to be held in a relatively remote area such as Athlone. They could be held in almost any building in town with a reasonable sized yard and enjoy the added advantage of proximity to potential partners and support services.

The second aspect is that, by providing TIMP with a suitable site close to town, the Athlone site would be freed up for a more urgent community purpose. Most of us are acutely aware that our indigenous people have been severely disadvantaged since their land was forcibly taken from them.

In 2014, a report prepared by the Kurnai people identified the provision of a cultural and healing centre as their greatest need. There has been little progress to date but the Athlone school site provides an ideal opportunity and an ideal location for such a centre where the Kurnai people can reconnect with the land, their culture and their spirituality.

May I urge Council to: decline the current permit application; work with the TIMP organisers to provide a more suitable location for their project; and, throw its support behind the move for a Kurnai Cultural and Healing Centre at the Athlone school site.

Richard Morris, Drouin views on various issues have been widely published by The Gazette.

I would also like to make a point in reference the council minutes and “who said what.”

I called in February for a report on televising council meetings live to air and leaving the recording on the council website for citizens to view at any time.

This report is expected back soon, and, if adopted by council will go quite some way to providing a more open window to council business. Something that like Mr Hart, I also wish to see. Cr Danny Goss, Warragul

Hurray to the people on some street who rejected extra lighting. Baw Baw Shire the company and others are installing toxic LED lights everywhere nowadays which disturbs our sleep and damages our eyes.

Even AMA (American Medical Association) warns about LED/blue light (regardless to colour).

The cockies who used to sleep on the trees across from Drouin Station moved to the ones across from Woolies because of those dazzling orange lights among the trees.

Birds know better yet they can't really get away from electromagnetic weapons set everywhere, especially WiFi and Smart dangerous meters. People are way trusting sadly.

C Loverain, Drouin

I am writing in response to letters recently written about ‘marriage equality’, ‘christianity and morality’ and the ‘Safe Schools program’.

Why can’t everyone accept each other for who we are, whether we are Christian, homosexual, atheist or whatever.

It hurts people when we write against marriage equality or state that non-Christians are not moral, or state that homosexuality is not right or safe.

Why don’t we be inclusive of everyone in our actions and words. We should think about others feelings first before we write hurtful letters. Catherine Durant, Crossover

Thank you Kat Swift to be bold enough to speak up on the topic of God (Gaz 2/5). I grew up and was educated in a communist atheist country in Europe.

My father was a KGB officer and investigator using torture, so I know atheism by experience very well.

Most of the atheists are atheist not because they have evidence to be an unbeliever or atheist, but by rejecting God they can establish themselves as authority and decide what is good and what is wrong.

They say, we don’t need God and the 10 commandments we can rule this world’s affairs ourselves. We have great knowledge we can build our own paradise.

Knowledge without wisdom equals disaster/destruction. True wisdom comes only from God.

Just look to see what is going on: stealing, killing lying, corruption, moral decay, disobedient to parents, teachers and police, violence and drugs.

We need more and more police and prisons. We need more mental health institutions, all these like never before. That’s what we achieve.

Thousands and thousands of innocent noble Christians were killed by atheistic governments in Russia, Bulgaria, Cuba and other countries.

The only crime they committed was believing in God, the bible and keeping the commandments.

There is a god in heaven. Make your choice with the evidence not what you think. Your choice will decide your destiny.

Stan Selent, Warragul