Support for basketball
IN RELATION to the new sports stadium, I agree with Owan Hughan of the Horsham Amateur Basketball Association (Story titled: Association resigns in stadium protest, Wimmera Mail-Times, July 17, 2017).
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If the costs are going to be prohibitive for the association as we know it, then surely this would be to the detriment of basketball in Horsham. I dare say a lot of people have put in a lot of volunteer hours at the stadium and if the stadium is operating to keep the cost of basketball down, that is a credit to the current operators.
If it ain’t broken, don’t try to fix it.
Why not leave the basketball association to go it alone and build a sports stadium for all the other users if need be – and be transparent with the costs.
David Castles, Horsham
Keep decision making local
FAR from showing leadership at the last council meeting regarding a future bypass of Horsham, Mayor Pam Clarke and her group of four have abrogated leadership and shown the council to be a rubber stamp of senior staff and VicRoads.
By passing resolutions to not take a position or seek out further bypass options, the mayor is trying to hand control of this most important issue to VicRoads in Ballarat.
VicRoads has, over the years, shown to be totally disinterested in the needs of the community – the very people Mayor Clarke and her group of four were elected to represent.
We have returned the bad old days where community consultation from Horsham City Council was minimal and unsatisfactory.
By contrast, under the genuine leadership of Cr David Grimble as mayor, we had an outbreak of democracy on the issue with genuine consultation occurring and the needs of the community being taken into account. This consultation and community input continued under Mayor Heather Phillips. Clearly there is a very different regime in place now.
I notice Mayor Clarke’s speech was high on emotion but lacking in facts. She seemed particularly keen on providing certainty. The decision to have the VicRoads-preferred option D placed on a Planning Acquisition Overlay definitely will not provide any certainty for Horsham and the region.
The next big question is: When will it be built? The horrendous cost involved in building through the floodplain will ensure the project will be put on the backburner for ages. Every year the question will be asked: When? The answer will be next year which, like tomorrow, never comes.
There will only be one immediate outcome of VicRoads finally imposing their will on the people of Horsham. The Planning Acquisition Overlay of option D will create a scar on the map of Horsham, restricting the future development of the Horsham Aerodrome and other important developments around our city.
My sympathies rest with Crs Grimble and Robinson. They tried valiantly to have more options investigated and evaluated. Mayor Clarke and her group of four closed the debate down.
Usually when artificial deadlines are imposed, there is more information relevant to the debate which has not been heard or given full and proper consideration.
Until this further information has been fully considered by council, the community has every reason to be sceptical of decisions made by the Horsham Rural City Council on our behalf.
Russell McKenzie, Haven
Visitors welcomed
I AM originally from the Wimmera and after recently visiting my parents in Horsham, I am compelled to write this letter.
Our 15-year-old sons play AFL in Canberra and during our visit to the Wimmera, wanted to train. My husband took them to Horsham City Oval in the hope they could train with the under-17 Horsham Demons team. They were warmly welcomed by the coach and players.
A football club provides more than an opportunity to develop skills and play football – it can be a place for young players to have a sense of belonging; a place for players to be exposed to positive male role models and a place to develop lasting friendships and develop such character strengths as resilience. Watching my sons train, I witnessed a club doing just that.
To all the volunteers at the Horsham Demons: You are doing an amazing job and never underestimate what it is you are actually doing.
To all the the players in the under-17s, remember that you are one team, one club and ultimately one family. You are not just playing football. Good luck in the pursuit of the premiership.
Roslyn Geerdink, Yarralumla ACT
Changes could hurt
IN MONDAY’S edition of the Wimmera Mail-Times, an article (Titled: Protesters march for better pay, conditions) was written regarding disability staff protesting against the NDIS and privatisation of public disability services in Ararat.
The Health and Community Services Union and the workforce are not campaigning against the idea of the NDIS – both fully support its rollout – what we are protesting against is the privatisation of public disability services to the NGO and not-for-profit sectors across Victoria.
This decision will see a huge reduction in the protection of staff's workplace benefits and conditions and salaries will significantly be decreased.
If the government is successful with the privatisation agenda, the entire disability workforce across the country will have wages and conditions eaten away very quickly. This will see many skilled and experienced staff leave the sector, therefore seeing a decline in quality of care and daily service provision.
Name withheld