LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
DEMOLITION BY NEGLECT?
I have been concerned about the Jubilee Church and adjacent hall building on the corner of Forest St and Wendouree Parade.
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The church was sold in 1996 to a private owner to be made into a tearoom.
This was to be a wonderful tourist attraction in an ideal position and a great way to utilise the historic church.
HAVE YOUR SAY AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS STORY
It is so sad to see buildings deteriorate over time and seemingly to be forgotten about.
I wonder if our City Council has these buildings on the heritage register?
If so, why is it taking so long for some action to be taken so that these buildings are not left to deteriorate further?
Cheryl Coulter Wendouree.
A KEY PART IN A RADICAL SAFETY INNOVATION
After reading the article about Luke Taylor, his accident, his recovery and his thankfulness for his bike helmet, I wanted to remind people that Ballarat played an important role in the compulsory introduction of bike helmets.
Janet Beanland died as a result of a crash with a car on her way to school by bicycle in March, 1978.
It was felt that if she had been wearing a helmet, then her injuries might have been less severe and she may have survived.
After this incident, Tom Evans, Member for Ballarat North, played an important role in the parliamentary committee established to investigate and implement the compulsory wearing of bicycle helmets.
Many years later, I met Janet's aunt and she told me that the Beanland family felt that the introduction of compulsory wearing of bicycle helmets in Victoria gave them some comfort after a tragic accident.
Joyce Currie, Wendouree.
UNIVERSAL NEED FOR HUMANITY
To all the people involved in protests about black lives matter.
What are you protesting about? Is it because a black man was killed by a white policeman?
Is it because police arrested a black man who was a criminal and he was harshly treated and unfortunately died and wasn't given a chance?
Never mind about all his victims.
Are you protesting because you see the same things happening here in Australia? I just want to know.
Don't black lives matter here in Australia?
I thought all lives matter, no matter what color or race.
John Ciezki, Canadian.
EUREKA MORE WORTH THAN CUP
In the past l was a happy participant in the frivolity of the Melbourne Cup, the hats, the betting and the champagne!
But in recent years after learning more about the frequent cruelty to the horses, both during and after their careers, l have avoided even betting on it.
Eureka Day which would celebrate democracy, ordinary worker's rights and Ballarat's history would be much more appropriate for our public holiday.
Elizabeth Cunningham, Ballarat East
DO IT SOLO
The supermarkets would be far less crowded if people would stop shopping in pairs or groups.
Surely one member of your household is capable of getting the groceries without having their partner walk alongside the trolley cluttering up the aisle or stopping to chat with another couple - grocery shopping is not the place for a social outing or catch-up.
Please respect the rules and stay at home unless necessary and only one member of a household shop alone.
Dianne Cahir, Dunnstown
CHANGING FOR THE WORSE
I refer to an earlier correspondent who mentions that railway gates, such as those at Lydiard Street, can be seen in many parts of the UK where lines and stations have been restored.
Why don't we as a community have this desire to save icons of our past for future generations?
Ballarat is fortunate to have retained quite a bit of heritage architecture although much has gone, but I am now concerned about its skyline.
The Government Hub being built in Armstrong Street dominates the skyline and from some points it is impossible to see Mt. Warrenheip.
This type of building should never have been allowed and I can only hope that those responsible for it have no say in the fate of the Lydiard Street railway gates.
Christine Hutton, Ballarat North.
BACK FOR MORE
Having been soundly criticised for his first piece (July 11), I see that Councillor Rinaldi made a second attempt to raise issues with recently introduced changes to the Local Government Act.
Central to his argument is that he questions the component of the Act which requires councillors to 'consider environmental sustainability of the municipal district, including mitigation and planning for climate change risks as an overarching governance principle'.
In his second article Councillor Rinaldi attempts to emphasise that he doesn't take a position on climate change.
His further statement asking 'which scientists he should listen to' clearly indicates that he still doesn't get the importance of this issue.
For more than 30 years, mainstream scientists around the world have been telling us that global warming is happening as a result of our using carbon fuels at an accelerated rate.
They warn that if we don't take significant steps to reduce our carbon emissions the increase in global temperature will continue and this will have catastrophic effects on our world.
European Union governments have been acting over the last 20 years to make substantial changes but conservative governments in other parts of the world, including Australia are still too slow to act.
They mostly argue that we can't afford to show leadership on carbon emission reduction, even though there are many jobs to be gained in the clean energy sector and in other environmentally beneficial industries, as emphasised by Professor Bridget Aitchison in her recent article. (July 25)
The reality is we have a responsibility to act on the clear advice from our scientific community at all government levels.
There is no place in any levels of government for climate change deniers or fence sitters.
Geoff Howard, Alfredton.