WHILE I understand Helen Holliday’s grief at the loss of Frank at Olinda Recreational Reserve in Olinda (Mail, 11 October), it should be remembered that dog Frank was not on a leash.
If dogs are walked near road works where heavy machinery is active, the risk is obvious.
Apart from this salient point, dogs should not be off leash in public places, or coming from outside private to street scapes where they can attack the innocent passersby with a lashed dog.
The result of this incidence has sparked a call for unleashed walk areas.
How often have unleashed dogs attacked those that are leashed and their owners, either in public spaces or from inside private properties from gates left open onto the street?
How often have irresponsible dog owners allowed their dogs to roam and sheep, goats even small ponies been maimed or murdered?
There needs to be some logic applied to this. Keep dogs on a leash or just keep them at home behind a locked gate!
My sympathies to Helen Holliday.
Rolph Wilson
Belgrave Heights
JIM Penna appears to have decided that because of my membership of U3A Knox, I am not allowed a personal opinion on current councillors and candidates. I have been a ratepayer in Knox for more than 40 years, so I feel perfectly able to judge without any reference to the supposed debt of U3A to council.
I signed the letter in my own name (and by the way there are at least two other Kath Browns in Knox!) Mr Penna is quite inaccurate to say U3A has received a substantial grant from Knox Council. The council, thankfully, is upgrading the building U3A Knox uses to cater for its current 924 members, most of them ratepayers in this area for as long as I have been.
It is not U3A’s building, it is a council building, and will be a council asset. Furthermore it is used by other organisations at night, and will be able to be used at weekends, after rebuilding, by even more organisations.
Get your facts straight Mr Penna.
I talk to people from other municipalities surrounding Knox, and the opinion from each and every one is “Thank your lucky stars you are in Knox!” They cite better services and better management and rates here.
My personal opinion, which I claim the right to express, having heard the representatives of the two organisations represented in the Ratepayers Coalition speak, and in one case perform, is that I prefer sitting councillors, who have shown their concern for their constituents over several years, and helped me personally on several occasions.
Nobody is perfect, and sometimes perhaps even Mr Penna loses his temper, and says something he regrets when under pressure. I can only judge on the performances I have seen.
Kath Brown
Ferntree Gully
I AGREE that Kath Brown (Think Again, Mail 11 October) should do exactly that – think again.
While she is at it, do some real investigation regarding the disinformation that is being touted as fact.
Neither the Knox Ratepayers Association nor Knox Action has ever supported an increase of rates to anybody, let alone the most vulnerable amongst us pensioners and people on fixed incomes. In fact, quite the opposite. The only people who belted the pensioners over the fence financially was the current council.
Rate increases can be controlled by having tighter restraints applied to administration and capital works expenditure without affecting services.
At no stage has anyone associated with either organisation, remotely suggested that we should jeopardise key services. The only people who keep spouting this misleading rubbish are the same people that need to be replaced our current mayor and councillors.
They can’t be open and transparent, they have tried to promote fear within the community against anyone that would dare challenge them at the polls, to quote another song from Oliver “I’d (the councillors) do anything”.
To think the Knox Reform Coalition is about destroying our own community is totally illogical, the name says we need to “reform” this council with independent, civic minded people who will challenge the current spending culture, look at things with a fresh approach and not be so arrogant as to think the community’s opinions don’t matter.
So please, open not only your eyes but your mind and be honest enough to at least acknowledge that there might be someone like Jim Penna who will do a better job given the chance. Goodness knows these current councillors have had enough chances and wasted them.
Yes by all means, think again, but I would urge every ratepayer to do exactly the same and replace this council on 26 November.
Peter Baird
President
Knox Ratepayers Association
I DON’T know whether to be astounded or amused by my fellow councillor Karin Orpen’s claim that the Knox Reform Coalition, of which I am one of the nine ward candidates, is some sort of front for the Liberal Party.
Astounded because it is totally false.
Amused because two years ago when Knox Action led the protest rally that drew over 700 people to council chambers, an anonymous person was calling Phil Cleary’s radio show saying that we were a front for the Labor Party!
Talk about having a bet each way!
I’ve never been a member, nor a supporter of any political party and over the past 33 years have voted for all the major parties as well as independents, at various federal, state and local elections.
I always vote for the individual, group, or party that I think will do the best job for my family.
Only one of the Knox Reform Coalition candidates belongs to a political party.
Many former councillors and mayors have belonged to a political party, yet still served ratepayers admirably. It’s the results voters are interested in. Anyway, if all the Reform candidates were to be elected, that would mean there would be only one Liberal councillor in Knox, instead of the current two so go figure the logic.
Like I assured Phil Cleary two years ago, thousands of ratepayers were upset by the horrendous rate increases imposed by my fellow councillors, including many not personally affected.
They were, and are, ordinary everyday citizens who had simply had a gut full of broken promises.
It seems that for one reason or another, some in power can’t believe a genuine grassroots challenge is possible well it is !
This is not about federal or state issues, but council failures.
Two years ago, a beloved former mayor was told that all the furore would be forgotten by the 2005 elections. Time will tell the voters will decide on 26 November.
David Cooper
Scott Ward councillor
Knoxfield
TO ALL involved in the rescue of Jed, my Staffordshire, from a mine shaft on Cavey Road, Monbulk on Wednesday, 5 October my sincere thanks and appreciation.
As for John Nieman, back to your rocking chair and rug. I am sure all the Dandenongs can’t wait for another well researched and insightful piece of opinion and commentary in the coming weeks.
Michael Koelewyn
Kallista
WITH reference to the letter from Dale Sayers of Emerald concerning the Emerald Library, can we just put the record straight!
The efforts of councillors Garry Runge and Graeme Legge towards the project could, I believe, best be described as minimal if not, in fact, negative.
Emerald’s inadequate little leanto library is being hurriedly constructed in the wrong place and at a fraction of the originally planned budget with much fanfare from our elected representatives who, alas, one gathers will be standing again for office.
The library is the fruition of a 3000 signature petition and a small but dedicated working group – the input from councillors Legge and Runge has been almost nil.
Had Cardinia Shire not sold the best public land in Emerald to commercial interests for a song with Cr Legge’s support, the library could have been sited in an ideal spot with other community resources.
Additionally, Gembrook MP Tammy Lobato did arrange for the State Government to provide a further $500,000 in funding so let’s not bucket her efforts on our behalf.
With council elections just round the corner let us not be taken in by eulogies for those who do not deserve them.
John Dudley
Emerald
I WRITE in response to the letter by Dale Sayers (Mail, 18 October).
Cardinia Council was embarrassed into allocating $1.3 million to build a library in Emerald by over 3000 Emerald and district residents and ratepayers who signed a petition presided over by Gembrook MP Tammy Lobato.
What Cardinia mayor Garry Runge and Emerald Ward councillor Graeme Legge presided over were applications for state funds that were flawed. This conveniently gave the council an excuse to veto money for the library in Emerald, when state funds were rejected.
After years of frustrating and unfruitful dealings with Cr Legge and Cardinia Shire Council, Ms Lobato was able to point out these flaws in the applications to members of the Emerald Library Working Group, which included myself.
She was also able to cut through the red tape (or was it a red herring?) that finally gave the people of Emerald and district a permanent library.
Mike Shaw
Emerald Library Working Group
Emerald
SHOOT to kill. Think about these three words very carefully. How is it possible that this term has found its way into the Australian way of life?
What sort of people would use such blatant terminology, which has already been proven in London to represent, what was quite obviously, a murderous act on an innocent life.
So, who will this so called law benefit the most? Those who are holding the guns which is confusing as we’ve been led to believe that such atrocities perpetrated on innocent lives can only be accepted as acts of terrorism.
I believe to even consider such things in a country like our is abhorrent and shows absolute contempt towards what I believe Australian society represents freedom.
Neil Whiteley
Monbulk
WE HAD it better 10 years ago. Since then Knox councilmade mistakes have the snow ball effect, losing the public park and the good old Safeway with its bottle shop.
Now we get a giant bottle shop, as if there were not enough alcohol related problems?
The new Safeway is a disaster zone. Boronia and other shoppers would much rather shop in the safe and friendly Boronia Village than struggle and go to the impersonal, busy, expensive Knox Shopping Centre.
This only divides the community. The duty of those in authority should be to achieve the opposite. Who can reverse this decline?
On 26 November we have our chance to get rid of this council.
Joe Sinclair
Boronia
