YOUR VIEWS

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

AS a proud wearer of the Australian Army uniform myself many years ago, I too am appalled by Greens Senator Richard Di Natale’s outrageous slur on Senator Jim Molan, a former ADF Major General who served his country with pride, honour and distinction.

This Greens Senator, well known for his outspoken insulting statements, needs to learn to show respect if he is to earn respect from the public, and can begin by apologising to Senator Molan.

I can well imagine the anger among ADF members who served under Jim.

KEN WADE, TWEED HEADS

ALTHOUGH Assistant Editor, Keith Woods, made a pretty strong attack on the Greens in this Wednesday’s Bulletin, he did make a lot of sense when he said how far off the mark it was to denigrate those who work so hard to protect the environment of the Gold Coast as “just a bunch of Greenies”.

In his comment piece, Woods was praising those who battled on in Bundall to save Black Swan Lake from destruction for the benefit of the Turf Club – but the same applies to those who fought so hard to protect The Spit from becoming a high rise casino strip.

‘Greenie’ is an insult that Mayor Tom Tate loves to throw around – without realising how much he is alienating many who may actually have voted for him.

SUE DONOVAN, THE MAIN BEACH ASSOCIATION

HOW much has been spent by the Gold Coast Council alone in order to find the best way to remove the natural inhabitants of the beautiful oasis amidst this concrete jungle that is Black Swan Lake?

I have been reading recently of the amount of so-called studies

conducted by I suppose environmental experts to determine not how to save the lives affected, but rather to determine the best way to kill them, in order to make their removal more humane. A joke, surely?

Regarding the Turf Club members themselves, some prominent business owners amongst them.

Perhaps they may take some notice of the average person and forget the whole episode.

I just hope you treat your horses better than your proposed extermination of the natural life associated with The Black Swan Lake.

EVAN LEWIS, CARRARA

IN defence of Gold Coast University Hospital I have twice been admitted in emergency and not had one single issue, especially the wonderful attention by the dedicated nurses, but I can imagine sometimes the problem does not constitute an emergency, so fair go for the professional staff!

MALCOLM OCKENFELS

I SINCERELY hope Ticketek sorts the entire ticketing snafu for the right events, time and date. No use going to the beach volleyball, if you would rather be at (name your other sport).

I’d be interested in watching world snafu champions like Peter Beattie win Commonwealth Gold. What else did he ever excel in?

DAVID HALL, LABRADOR

AS a lifetime resident of the Goldie and knowing the Black Swan Lake area and its history could you please give our mayor and his chief of staff these facts.

The Black Swan Lake was formed to raise the adjacent levels from the then existing flood plain. It was devised to give a water area for training horses and was kept separate from the adjacent canal formed areas (which was the original drainage line of the flood plain according to my earlier 1960 state government maps) as a quarantine measure if in case disease broke out in neighbouring horse training areas.

I know this as I and my family have owned and stabled and trained horses in this unique area. It also was to provide a water catchment makeup area for the low lying area due to higher land filling adjacent to it.

For the GCCC to infill for land greed is absolute stupidity as the initial quarantine base, if horse diseases were to break out in this area, would be lost in entirety.

KERNEL BLUEY, BURLEY

TITANS coach Garth Brennan hit the nail on the head. (Gold Coast Bulletin, Feb 15). Someone in the NRL has a screw loose to even consider a State of Origin game in Adelaide.

Queensland and NSW form rugby league’s heartland and perhaps the old format should be reinstated. Not even Melbourne deserves a game, for how many players is Victoria their state of origin?

By their inane decision, the NRL has driven a wedge between it and the fans and, in the best interests of the game, the Adelaide romp should be withdrawn and perhaps even rescheduled in Townsville.

They are rugby league mad up in the Tropics so let’s say “sorry, stupid idea” to Adelaide.

If the highly paid NRL morons want the game to fly high, don’t take it to an AFL City that does not have a rugby League team.

KEN JOHNSTON, ROCHEDALE SOUTH

As the Mayor is looking to find a suitable area for the Gold Coast Show and Mother Nature is slowly filling the Broadwater with sand why not use the Broadwater as the new place for the Gold Coast Showgrounds?

ANGELO, BIGGERA WATERS