Stop the vandalism

A COUNCIL $2611 fine for environmental vandals who deliberately and illegally poisoned 75-year-old Beach Almond trees iconic to Trinity Beach (CP, 12/01) is a pathetic slap on the wrist that will do nothing to deter the culprits who have no respect for the law, nature, residents or tourists to Trinity.

It was heartbreaking to see these treasured shade trees needlessly cut down and dragged away by council workers last week.

Residents who live in close vicinity to the area support councillor Brett Olds’ proposal to erect a super-sized billboard until the replacement trees are the same height as those poisoned.

This natural justice strategy has been implemented at Mission Beach and in other parts of Australia where this same shameful behaviour exists. It works.

Trinity Beach residents hope that council can quickly pass a motion to erect the billboard to deter further poisonings.

Cairns’ beaches belong to everyone. Laura Ots, on behalf of Trinity Beach Residents Group

We have undertaken three rounds of major consultation on this subject, two of which occurred last year as part of the planning for the new City Centre Master Plan. This was in addition to the Our Cairns survey in which more than 6000 residents had their say.

The results of all of these consultations will be reflected in the master plan. Mayor Bob Manning that freshie in Lake Eacham is removed it’ll be dead by July, and the blame will be squarely on those foolish people who think they know what’s best for crocodiles.

Though the real question should be which idiot placed that poor reptile in the lake in the first place. Gary Smith, Ravenshoe 1996: Italy’s former prime minister Silvio

Berlusconi goes on trial for corruption. 1998: US President Bill Clinton testifies in a sexual misconduct lawsuit brought by Paula Jones; Clinton is later accused of perjury in the case. 2001: Jewish Holocaust survivors win compensation deal from Austria for assets stripped from them when the country was part of Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich. 2011: Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban (above) announce the birth of their second child, Faith Margaret, through a surrogate mother in the US. 2017: The search is called off for Malaysia Airlines flight 370 nearly three years after the plane went missing with 239 people on board. 2018: China’s family planning commission reveals the country’s birth rate dropped by 3.5 per cent in 2017.