The Weekly Times - TWT - 24th July 2019

6 THE WEEKLY TIMES Wednesday 24 July, 2019
Extension to river
walk welcomed
Dear Sir,
My family and I are writing
to express not only our
excitement and joy, but our
streets and adjoining streets
excitement and joy in hearing
the news that The City of
Ryde Council plans to complete
the “Ryde River Walk’s”
missing link board walk between
Ross Street and Bill
Mitchell Park in Gladesville.
My wife and I are parents of
two young boys and two dogs
who live in close proximity to
Glades Bay and frequent the
board walk and Bill Mitchell
Park.
It is a fantastic community
facility for all to use and appreciate
our beautiful living Parramatta
river and surrounding
bushland.
Our entire family will regularly
(2-3 times a week) walk along
the boardwalk and without a
doubt, every time say how lucky
we are to live in such a beautiful
area with such amazing natural
resources.
We will often pick up litter
along our walk which has
washed up on our way to Bill
Mitchell Park to kick a soccer
ball and enjoy the magnificent
views our area has.
Currently as it is too dangerous
to walk along a 45 degree
rock wall, with a 2.5 year old and
a six month old, we will head up
and walk along the street, once
again not 100 percent safe as it
is a long road ways.
This is because the board
walk stops shy of the park.
To have the boardwalk extended
along the waterfront
would be amazing now and a
long way in to the future and utilised
by countless community
members.
I feel it re connects people
with the natural environment,
promotes good health and well
being, and is an opportunity
which should not be restricted
or taken away from us.
I also regularly utilise the bike
paths further along the river
to ride to and from my work
at Homebush the majority of
weekdays.
It is a magic ride with the water
views available throughout,
Gladesville, Putney, Meadowbank,
Rhodes, Bicentennial
Park and Homebush.
I often think how great it was
that numerous councils worked
together for the greater good,
and had the foresight in planning
to keep those areas available
for all the public to enjoy.
I find it disappointing that this
proposal was knocked back a
The Hunters Hill Council
Mayoral
Spring Ball
Theme: Black tie with a touch of Spring
14 September 2019
Hunters Hill Town Hall
From 6:30pm
Letters to the Editor
few years ago when the majority
of the board walk was commissioned.
I feel it was really selfish of
the handful of people, who apparently
own to the water line
(whom I have never seen down
anywhere near it), putting an objections
in which takes away access
to the water way which the
entire communities own.
I completely support and
am proud to hear our Mayor
Jarome Laxale and Councillors
- in particular Penny Pedersen
whom I had a conversation with
at a recent sustainability festival,
about this very matter, are
fighting for the vast majority of
people who will benefit from this
additional infrastructure.
The councils integrity I think
should be commended also,
that although their initial attempt
was unsuccessful, they have
persisted and rallied for the
greater good, to get it across
the line.
To quote Jerome “Our waterfront
should be available to everyone,
not just a few”.
If required I am more than
happy to assist in any way to
ensure this fantastic initiative
gets over the line.
Please feel free to contact me
in any way. Regards a passionate
Father, ratepayer, and member
of a family and community
whom value and love the area
we live in.
PAUL CLEARY supported
by Tamara, Henry, Ethan,
Poncho & Waffle Cleary
Gladesville
PM Morrison like
President Trump
Three course feast
by Boronia Kitchen
$250 per head or
$2,500 per table of 10
Raising funds for an inclusive playspace in our community
Tickets available from trybooking.com/BDTLB
LETTERS
Welcome
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from our readers. Full
name, address and
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MUST be supplied, even
if not for publication.
Send to: TWT PO Box
123, Ryde 1680 or email:
contactus@weekly
times.com.au
Dear Sir,
When Clive Palmers’ Nickel
mine collapsed the Government
paid those who had
worked 10 years in his mine
full pay.
Those who worked nine years
or less were not paid.
Clive Palmer spent at least
$50 billion on his compaign
ads. So he could have easily
paid them back.
The liquidators have taken
him to court. Clive used We
Chata Chinese version of Facebook
to say Labor was charging
death taxes and bringing thousands
of people from the Middle
East.
Labor denied these allegations,
but like Facebook this
remained to the end of the campaign.
Negative gearing was for
new homes only. The Grattan
Institute endorsed this idea. It
did not include existing homes.
Under the present government
you can buy new homes,
but if you sell a home you don’t
live in you pay capital gains tax.
At the present moment the
government has to deal with
retirees’ deeming rates tax.
The retirees demand deeming
overhaul despite rate cut. The
system had to be changed so
that an independent authority
set deeming rates Mr.Henschke
said.
They’ve saved probably at
least $1 billion by not moving
the deeming rate since 2015.
That’s four years and four
months that they have used
pensioners to fix the budget.
Laura Tingle an economist on
the Insiders said the deeming
rate was a dud deal. The Bureau
of Statistics said the division between
the rich and the poor has
widened.
Scott Morrison reminds me
a little of the President Donald
Trump, although not as extreme.
He sometimes wears a cap.
He ran his campaign in presidential
mode. Donald Trump
asked Scott Morrison to dinner
at the White House during
theG20 Meeting. This will be the
second time Scott Morrison has
had dinner at the White House
with President Donald Trump.
MARIE WOOLNOUGH
Ermington,
Low interest rates
causes job losses
Dear Sir,
Every time we open the paper
or turn on the TV we see
another company retail closure
with their losses of many
jobs.
No one stops to think or won’t
admit that it is caused by the
ridiculously low interest rates.
When the rates go down to zero
the retirees have no income to
spend in the shops on themselves
and their grandchildren.
I am a senior who has worked
all my life and saved for my retirement
so that I would not be
dependent on handouts from
the government.
I could go into any store and
buy items for myself and my
family.
I would regularly buy things
for my grandchildren and while
shopping would see friends and
acquaintances in the shops too.
I gradually went down from
Myer and DJs to K Mart and
Millers as well. Now I have had
to give up altogether and so I’m
told by all these people that they
have to do the same.
When will the powers that be
admit that they are reliant on the
senior’s spending to stay afloat.
Put up the rates to a normal
level and see what happens to
the economy.
When we bought our house
the rates were 16 percent and
the market was booming. We
managed to pay it all off without
too much trouble.
DIANA KRAUS
Epping
Genuine care for
constituents
Dear Sir,
It’s good to see Victor
Dominello still fighting
against Meriton’s 60 storey
behemoth.
While, many in the community
were worried that Victor would
forget about the community or
concede to Meriton upon being
re-elected, it is now clear that
Victor genuinely cares about
his constituents and is serious
about stopping Harry Triguboff
and other powerful developers.
Harry Triguboff continues attacking
Victor, and Victor continues
to fight back on behalf of
his community.
Mr Triguboff even states that
Victor is uncontrollable. I think
the community would call it an
endorsement for a politician if
corporate and lobbyist interests
couldn’t control a leading Government
Minister.
Australians have been waiting
a long time for a politician
like this. A politician who would
put his community first, despite
what corporate interests may
try and throw at them.
The world is in need of these
types of leaders and politicians.
Politicians like Victor who will
not be bribed or influenced by
corporate interests.
Thank you Victor for refusing
to give in to corporate interests.
Keep up the great work Victor!
CALLUM SIMMONDS
Meadowbank
Hunters Hill Guest Column
Hunters Hill- a Bloomin’
beautiful 2019 Spring Ball
HUNTERS HILL Mayor
Mark Bennett will be
hosting the 2019 Mayoral
Spring Ball on Saturday
September 14 in
our beautiful Town Hall.
After a 17 year hiatus,
Mayor Bennett is
delighted to reactivate
an event which, in the
past, has hosted guests
of honour such as Prime
Minister John Howard
and has been symbolic
of the warm and proud
relationship Hunters Hill
Council shares with our
community.
Small but mighty.
This year, there will be
a fundraising aspect to
the ball as we seek to
raise enough dollars to
match a generous grant
to design and build an
inclusive play-space at
Boronia Park.
Lane Cove MP
Anthony Roberts, as
our local state minister
and under his previous
portfolio in Planning,
developed the
“Everyone Can Play”
guidelines and grant
funding to encourage
better design in our
open spaces so that
everyone can stay and
play.
* * *
SOMETIMES people
ask me what a disabled
playground will look like
and I’m always happy
to have a conversation
about Universal Design
Principles.
These principles don’t
work from a place
of making spaces
accessible to “disabled”
people, they work from
a place of making all
To The POINT
with Clr ELIZABETH KRASSOI
spaces accessible to
ALL people, for the
benefit of everyone.
Youth, teens, ageing
and working people of
all manner of ability.
We want everyone who
comes to this space to
feel safe, welcome and
engaged.
It is our hope that
the final elements of
our first universally
designed playspace
will reflect the core
values of the Everyone
Can Play guide: “Can I
get there? Can I Play?
Can I stay?”. Is there
safe, accessible and
adequate parking? Are
there challenging and
engaging activities for
a variety of ages and
physical needs? Is
there shade, drinking
water, comfortable
places to sit?
* * *
INTERESTINGLY, after
several community
consultation sessions,
these are the priorities
raised by residents of
all ages without them
ever having heard
of Minister Roberts
fantastic guidelines!
So, the stars have
lined up!
A small, but
enthusiastic, group of
local residents have
kindly given their time
over the past year
to form an Inclusive
Playspace Committee
and to meet and work
through our goals to
ensure that when our
space is built, the
whole community will
be proud and excited.
Certainly, as the year
has progressed and I
have been privileged
enough to learn more
about how Australians
support each other
around inclusion, I am
excited to know that
in this place, local
residents of all ages will
feel safe and welcome
and able to enjoy our
beautiful parks and the
company of others in
our community without
impediment.
It’s certainly the
proudest project to be
a part of.
If you would like to
support the playspace
to win grant funding,
vote for free in “My
Community Project”
nsw.gov.au before
August 15.
If you would like
more information on
the playspace project
contact Annie Goodman
at Hunters Hill
Council: Goodmana@
huntershill.nsw.gov.au
* * *
THE MAYORAL Spring
Ball will be held in
Hunters Hill Town Hall
on Saturday September
14 from 6.30pm.
Tickets are available
on Council’s website:
www.huntershill.nsw.
gov.au or by Googling
trybooking
Spring Ball”.
“Mayoral
$30,000 Government Estuary Grant
HUNTERS HILL Council recently received a Department of Planning, Industry & Environment
Grant under the Estuary Management Program for $30,000 over two years.
This grant will be
matched by Council
funds, through the Bushland
Budget and is stage
2 of a project which aims
to strategically approach
habitat restoration at a
landscape level along the
lower reaches of the Parramatta
River.
Bushcare groups and
bush regeneration contractors
will be working
across five reserves in
a range of condition i.e.
Clarkes Point, Kellys Bush,
Gladesville Reserve, Betts
Park and Parramatta River
Regional Park.
The project aims to restore
three hectares of
bushland which will improve
ecological connectivity
between bushcares
sites, restore Endangered
Ecological Communities
(EECs) i.e.Coastal Saltmarsh
and Swamp Oak
Floodplain Forest, improve
native fauna habitat and
increase the resilience of
these communities.
* * *
WE received news
from MP Anthony Roberts
that our application for
Round 2 of the Community
War Memorial Fund
was successful.
The NSW Government
established the Community
War Memorials Fund
in 2008, to help conserve,
repair and protect war memorials
across NSW.
The Hunters Hill sandstone
memorial, which was
originally erected in 1927,
pays tribute to Hunters Hill
locals who have served in
numerous overseas conflict.
The $10,000 grant will be
matched by council to undertake
repair and restoration
works so future generations
can ensure it is part
of the community for years
to come.
* * *
MOOCOOBOOLA is
coming fast.
This free community
event held by Hunters
Hill Council is on Sunday
August 4 at Boronia Park
Ovals, Hunters Hill. Moocooboola
starts at 9.30am
until 4pm. Keep updated
via the event website:
www.moocooboola.com.
au
Moocooboola will be
keeping it green again this
year by promoting sustainable
practices.
Good For The Hood and
the King and Queen of
Green will be roaming the
parks with entertaining
and educational messages
about recycling. Free water
refill stations will be available
to fill your re-usable
HUNTERS HILL HAPPENINGS
with Mayor MARK BENNETT
water bottles and participating
stallholders will offer
50c off per coffee when
you use your keep cup.
Bring your old designer
clothes to the iShareCloset
stall to register them
for sale or rent and then
watch the Recycled Fashion
Parade on the Stage at
2.15pm. All stallholders will
be using biodegradable
packaging and utensils.
The Ring will again be
home to the Dog Show
where your pooch can
compete for Dog of the
Year, Best Lookalike and
Best Trick. You can also
take photos of your dog
in the back of a hay-filled
Ute and upload the photos
to social media. With
lots of food, rides, stalls
and entertainment - Moocooboola
2019 is sure to
be lots of fun for the whole
family.
* * *
A LOT is happening in
and around the Gladesville
Shopping Village (GSV),
from physical improvements
such as footpath
upgrades and light installations
to progressing strategic
land use planning
for the future direction
of Gladesville. Council
will continue to keep you
updated as we move forward
with these exciting
projects.
Over the last few
months footpath improvement
works were
carried out along Victoria
Road from Pittwater to
Batemans Road. Council
has invested $320,000
into this project.
Continued page 7