LetteroftheWeek
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 Cross her Heart by Sarah Pinborough. Some secrets are worth dying for – the mind-blowing thriller from the author of the bestselling Behind Her Eyes.
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THE excellent article by Keith Woods yesterday (‘Coast’s liveability facing death by a thousand cuts’, GCB, 2/5/18) asks the hard question: how do we marry together the often competing needs of a developing city with the strong community interest in in preserving the liveabality that attracted us here and keeps us here, living in paradise, and that underpins our main industry of tourism and leisure?
Green spaces are being lost around the city and are not being replaced, despite millions of dollars being by paid ratepayers via the green space levy. Why not?
This is why we are fighting to retain the Neal Shannon Park at the Bruce Bishop car park in Surfers Paradise. This 11,000 square metre green space provides not only a space for people to use and enjoy for both passive and active recreation, but it is also a welcome respite in the middle of a lot of high rise development in Surfers Paradise. Is that what we want, or is wall to wall high rise the only way to go?
The Mayor’s glib answer is to say that ther will be a 2500 sqaure metre civic suare in the new development on Bruce Bishop – but this will be a paved area not suitable for ball games, boot camps and the other sporting and cultural activities that currently take place in Neal Shannon Park.
His other claim is that a substitute park is being provided at Evandale in the cultural precinct. This is yet another completely bougus argument: that park is already there, so there is no new park being provided to replace the loss of Neal Shannon, and it is over 2km away so it is of no relevance to the ambience of Surfers Paradise and the needs and well-being of residents and visitors here.
There is a balance to be reached in this equation, as of course we want and need jobs and growth, but it can’t be any any cost. We have to preserve what makes the City such a special place for residents and visitors alike.
DEBORAH KELLY, SECRETARY, SAVE SURFERS PARADISE INC.
KEN WADE (‘Your Views, GCB, 1/5/18), I can’t let your tirade of vitriol towards gay people pass without some comment.
Television programs are simply more realistic these days in portraying people from all walks of life and sexualities, ethnicities and backgrounds.
You are very naive in thinking young people and children aren’t aware of gay people. They are much more aware of diversity through social media, news, entertainment, etc. And this is as it should be. The future can only be a much happier and more accepting society through education and knowledge. Ignorance is not bliss!
COLIN HAUVILLE, SURFERS PARADISE
I’M totally in agreement with George Saalmann’s letter (24 April) regarding “unwanted sound”. I call it auditory abuse!
A recent cruise on the Celebrity Solstice was thoroughly spoilt by the incessant and ubiquitous pounding of pop/disco/rap music throughout the ship’s audio systems.
This daily cacophony even penetrated into the elegant dining areas, thus prohibiting a quiet conversation with fellow passengers. The only respite from the canned noise was to escape to one’s stateroom.
The cruise director wasn’t too interested in our auditory woes and we subsequently learnt that the bean counters in Miami are paid to play this music any mature passenger in their right mind wouldn’t normally listen to. However, on a cruise one is a victim and powerless to complain. So much for a relaxing cruise!
There seems to be a desperate fear nowadays of (sweet) silence and restaurants or shops that bombard one’s sensibilities with loud “music”, in my opinion, should be given a wide berth!
DENISE MELLER, MAIN BEACH
I WOULD like to congratulate Viv Forbes for that wonderful letter on climate change published in yesterday’s Bulletin (‘Your Views, GCB, 1/5/18).
Can I suggest that every newspaper throughout Australia should publish it, a copy should be sent to the Prime Minister and Bill Shorten, and even Donald Trump.
The world’s natural forces cannot be controlled by human intervention.
As the letter states “nature rules, not politicians”.
J.W.M. HALL, HELENSVALE
KEITH WOODS (‘Coast’s liveability facing death by a thousand cuts’, GCB, 2/5/18) writes a good compare and contrast on the liveability of other Australian cities to the Gold Coast.
Most people who come to the GC end up thanking their lucky stars every day that they made that decision.
As to Canberra’s winter weather being cold enough to chill an “eskimo”, on a pedantic note, the preferred term in Canada is lnuit.
DAVID HALL, COOMBABAH
IT appears China has banned Peppa Pig for no obvious reason.
Although I am not a watcher of this show I doubt that it is too subversive for the under 6s.
Now if they want to ban British shows for their anti-authoritarian behaviour there can be no better candidate than ‘Shaun the Sheep’ who ‘even mucks about with those who cannot bleat’ and seems to always cause trouble on the farm - or ‘rural collective’.
DENNIS FITZGERALD