MINERS REST at threat from inaction
The new proposed flood overlay map is council covering itself again and counting the huge rate revenue it will collect and not reinvest money back in to our little town, Miners Rest; the forgotten town since Ballarat City Council got its greedy hands on it. My rates have more than doubled $1700 and are climbing, and every time we get heavy rain my family and l have problems sleeping thanks to Ballarat City Council and Central Highlands Water. I cannot use the shower or toilet thanks to the sewer being full of creek water.
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Now the saleyards has tripled in size. All this recent development has had a huge impact on the creek, making a bad situation even worse and council openly admit they have not addressed known flood problems in Miners Rest. Their answer is a new flood overlay map to restrict development in Miners Rest. I think council's backward approach is a joke. You would think implementing a new flood overlay map first, then the five new housing estates and the saleyards would be the correct order, not the other way around.
Do council think putting out spot fires via their media spin approach is a fix-all for the problems council have created for themselves? With everything they touch lately and their lack of action, not to mention the massive flooding in Miners Rest when it rains, council approve five to six housing estates; two on known flood plains. Rates, rates, rates is the answer.
Paul Keating, Miners Rest
Unsung heroes
Foster carers are the unsung heroes of our communities. They welcome children, who sometimes have nowhere else to go, into their houses. They provide them a bed, but more importantly they provide them a loving home. For some children, it might be the first safe home they've had. Often children can arrive in the middle of the night, confused and afraid. Some stay for a short while, others for much longer. Foster caring isn't glamorous. It's highly rewarding, but there's no denying it's hard work.These carers provide a safe home for children when they really need it because they know every child deserves a good childhood, growing up to feel safe, nurtured and with hope for the future. This Foster Carers Week we say thank you on behalf of all the Victorian children who might not be able to.
Sandie de Wolf AM CEO, Berry Street
Timely reminder to be prepared
A staggering one in three of people reading this letter will face at least one natural disaster in their lifetime. And after the disaster hits, sadly there's one thing most will also experience.
Regret about not being better prepared.
In Emergency Preparedness Week, Red Cross is calling on all Australians to take action before it's too late. We want all Australians to be prepared for an emergency, whether it's as large as a flood or bushfire, or as personal as a family crisis .
Too many conversations after an emergency begin with "I wish I had…". People wish they'd taken the kids' baby photographs; kept their passports safe; upped their insurance; looked in on their neighbours.
For decades, we've seen first-hand the trauma, stress, and hardship that disasters bring; things many of us just aren't prepared for like anxiety, grief and loss, relationship problems, and financial hardship that can go on for many years.
You can't get back what you've lost after an emergency. But you can plan to protect what matters most. And that's different for everyone. Our free guide can spare people much of the avoidable grief and trauma because we know that the better you are prepared, the better you will cope .
Download your RediPlan at redcross.org.au/prepare and get prepared.
Penny Harrison, Red Cross Director, Victoria
