Who is the Big Kat kitten by running down our place?

WELL hasn’t the Kat in the Hat article about Bob Katter (GCB 16/1/20) seen my blood boil!

Firstly Bob get some of your facts right. Killing the sharks, well does he think they have their own postcode and don’t live anywhere else?

HOTA, can’t say I personally prefer the change from the art centre, that was nice and simple, but I’ve always been proud that we have a cultural hub. It has expanded over my 30 years here and houses the Comedy Club, art installations, a cinema that hosting some of the more alternative movies, and a concert hall that I once was privileged to see Nina Simone. Aside from that every six weeks I volunteered to hang and dismantle art exhibitions, was encouraged to have my say as the curator and proud to be part of many up and coming Gold Coast artists.

As for Marina Mirage, here too I worked extensively from the early ’90s to mid-2000s. As it lights up into the night it is our little version of the Sydney Opera House. The artefact shop/gallery he refers to was owned by Australia’s largest and most highly respected private collector, Wynn Schubert, and he mentions in today’s market the worth of the art to be $30 million. Hell, that would have been the worth in one storage room!

Wynn has since passed and a huge majority of the works have been donated to Queensland, NSW and ACT galleries, not including the many grants she gifted.

Sadly the new owner of the Mirage does not seem to appreciate the value of this fabulous iconic building. They randomly move shops around, haven’t renewed some tenants’ leases, are not maintaining the building to its prior standing, have not proceeded with promises made to provide an extravagant food hall and basically locked tenants out that were anticipating this increase in foot traffic.

So if Bob wants to run down the Mirage, go to the top and demand the owners provide a suitable venue. Don’t slam the GC for their neglect.

Based on the tragedies the country for so long have endured, anyone who lives here must feel truly thankful. We really are the gold in the country – our waterways, bush trails, beaches, the vast amount of activities we have at hand, our ever-expanding infrastructure, and culinary delights from the north of the Coast to Coolangatta in the south.

So Bob if you’re going to complain like this don’t come back for holidays again! We don’t need moaners like you.

MELISSA RICH, GOLD COAST