Letter of the Week

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 Hunting Party by Lucy Foley. In a remote hunting lodge, deep in the Scottish wilderness, old friends gather to celebrate New Year’s Eve. One of them is killed. Not an accident – a murder among friends.

Rules: Entries close each Thursday at 5pm AEST. The winner is selected by 2pm AEST each Friday. Book of the month valued up to $49 (incl. of GST). 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. Best letter competition runs until January 23 next year.

I BELIEVE that some members of our community are selfish and ignorant, especially those who have dogs they walk or have an insane need to exercise.

Since the end of January the residents of Biggera Waters and Runaway Bay who live around the mouth of Biggera Creek have faced the constant sounds of heavy equipment being used to dig the new sewerage pipes for the city six days a week from 6am to 6pm.

We have lost our beautiful park and the carpark which serviced not only the visitors to Quota Park but also the residents as extra nighttime parking.

As we are willing to wear this pain to our normal lives for the 12 months required to drill this tunnel for the benefit of the community.

We also cannot believe how ignorant members of our community ignore the signs, drive in and park their cars so they can either walk the labradoodles or poodle-pugs or go for a run with another safer carpark 500m down the road and cause workmen to park in the very few on-road car parks available to us.

We also cannot believe in how our council, after acknowledging our co-operation, denies the placement of an extra two on-street carparks, claiming they would be unsafe for the cyclists who have shown that they will ignore any traffic controllers who are trying to get large vehicles in and out of the site.

Our local councillor seems to be uninterested in this thank you to the locals by simply passing our requests on to the transport bureaucrats who make the claims or even go to bat for us by asking the mayor to get involved.

We in this area have seen our property values drop by 25 per cent. We are being forced to keep our windows closed during hot weather and that costs us more money to run air conditioning which we will never be compensated for, and that is just for those who have or can afford air-conditioning.

Quota Park is used by 200,000 people each year, the carpark is used by 100,000 people each year. Is it fair that we who support this area suffer because of the ignorant who don’t live here or a council who expects us to support them without some kind of compensation for our support?

RON NIGHTINGALE, BIGGERA WATERS

AS the clock ticks toward our politics version of the rumble in the jungle I keep wondering what our politicians would do if hate, fear and downright lies were taken out of the equation.

But then again many of the mug punters these days would be hardpressed coming to grips with the truth and those who want to get their snouts in the trough wouldn’t know what the truth is.

No one must shut their eyes and regard as non-existent the suffering of which they spared themselves the sight.

D.J. FRASER, CURRUMBIN

LEAGUE tables are my pet hate. They mean little and usually only show results that were predictable to many.

The top three “highest” performing schools have carefully scrutinised entry standards (GCB, 18/2/19) so why, when many are turned away, should they be rejoicing? These schools are not necessarily the best in Queensland.

Many students will do well whatever school they attend but the true worth of any school is surely based on the improvement students make and their preparedness for life ahead.

Rarely are results after a year of tertiary education published because the top OP schools would not necessarily be on top.

All students who achieve to the best of their ability are to be admired, not just those with the top OPs.

KEN JOHNSTON, ROCHEDALE SOUTH

If you are a supporter of a cruise ship terminal off the Gold Coast, wander down to the beach in the next couple of days and you will see how impractical it would be to berth a liner in open waters.

TERRY, PARKWOOD

After I wrote to you last November, I am very pleased to report that my local MP has seen to it that garbage bins have been placed in appropriate places at Mangrove Jack Park, and that the amount of fishing rubbish seems to be reduced.

However, I was appalled to discover that over the weekend about 50 trees at the park were cut down or vandalised. My local MP has viewed the damage, but it appears Council can not do much to prevent this sort of behaviour.

I appeal to neighbourhood watch groups and local residents to do whatever they can to identify the culprits and report them to the authorities.

A Clean Up Australia Day event will take place at the park and at other Gold Coast locations on March 3. If anyone is interested in participating please check this link to find an event near you: www.cleanupaustraliaday.org.au/join-a-clean-up

SALLY PURBRICK-ILLEK, HELENSVALE

WHEN I read some of the letters to the editor in the GCB from climate deniers, I’m reminded of a quote from that most famous of scientists, Charles Darwin, who celebrated his 210th birthday a week ago.

“Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge. It is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science.” Thank you, Charles Darwin.

JIM TAYLOR, MUDGEERABA