By Joan Woods
OUR mayor Brett Tessari has called for community input into plans for Wonthaggi’s activity centre, including the water-logged Apex Park. I wonder if all that is required is a few more drains?
Apparently this is all about preparing for the influx of new people to our town and to bring more people into the town centre.
However, if Apex Park is “tidied up” too much with concrete and tar (the preferred improvements for townships), the Australian character of Wonthaggi will disappear. Do we want to be a proxy suburb of a big city?
OUR mayor Brett Tessari has called for community input into plans for Wonthaggi’s activity centre, including the water-logged Apex Park. I wonder if all that is required is a few more drains?
Apparently this is all about preparing for the influx of new people to our town and to bring more people into the town centre.
However, if Apex Park is “tidied up” too much with concrete and tar (the preferred improvements for townships), the Australian character of Wonthaggi will disappear. Do we want to be a proxy suburb of a big city?
This is about more than increasing rateable income. Apex Park is a small green space in the middle of town which people use. It denotes community in the middle of the holy grail of business. It is time to try to find our relationship to this earth we call Australia. We have to be willing to learn and humble enough not to follow ‘progress’ to its usual conclusion of yet more tar and concrete.
In the past 20 years we have lost the pine trees that once lined the entrance to the west of the town. I believe the trees were planted by school children during the war to make matchsticks. Regardless, they made a pleasant entrance to the town.
The cypress pines on the golf course have also gone and now more of this wonderful open space is up for possible development.
These were open spaces that meant cleaner air and breathing space to release the shackles of town life.
Yes, Wonthaggi does have a recognisable character that has expressed itself in the attitudes of its residents: friendly and a little laid back, because we have natural open spaces.
Space to be ourselves. This is something capital cities no longer supply.
Perhaps the biggest question for all Australians is about reconciliation. Every time the earth is disregarded, it strikes at the relevance of our First Nations people and their cultures. Hurrah! some will say, but to disregard these is to forget that the earth is our keeper, our succour and our home. Without it, we won’t exist.
So far it’s been all care and no responsibility. It’s been hard work stuffing up the earth!
While on the subject of open spaces adjacent to business – what about North Wonthaggi, where most of the new residents will settle? It has precious little of either. Does our council have this is hand?
In the past 20 years we have lost the pine trees that once lined the entrance to the west of the town. I believe the trees were planted by school children during the war to make matchsticks. Regardless, they made a pleasant entrance to the town.
The cypress pines on the golf course have also gone and now more of this wonderful open space is up for possible development.
These were open spaces that meant cleaner air and breathing space to release the shackles of town life.
Yes, Wonthaggi does have a recognisable character that has expressed itself in the attitudes of its residents: friendly and a little laid back, because we have natural open spaces.
Space to be ourselves. This is something capital cities no longer supply.
Perhaps the biggest question for all Australians is about reconciliation. Every time the earth is disregarded, it strikes at the relevance of our First Nations people and their cultures. Hurrah! some will say, but to disregard these is to forget that the earth is our keeper, our succour and our home. Without it, we won’t exist.
So far it’s been all care and no responsibility. It’s been hard work stuffing up the earth!
While on the subject of open spaces adjacent to business – what about North Wonthaggi, where most of the new residents will settle? It has precious little of either. Does our council have this is hand?