I am all in favour of having a long term plan, and support efforts to develop one.

On a positive note, I can see obvious benefits in developing a centre which would house the historical society, the lapidary club, the tourism information centre and probably many of the service clubs.

There are obvious savings and synergies by sharing toilets, catering facilities, display and presentation areas combined with a museum celebrating the regions history.

This seems a no-brainer and the sooner it happens the better, particularly given the quaint but essentially substandard current homes for many of these groups.

An idea also worth considering is to consolidate more sporting activities at the Horsham Golf Club.

Relocating the lawn tennis courts and croquet courts there has merit.

The clubrooms are a great facility, only being held back by insufficient usage, and combining more activities there would allow it to operate profitably.

Green and fairway upkeep would seem to dovetail nicely with the skills and machinery needed for grass tennis and croquet court maintenance, and should result in cost savings and improved outcomes.

There are issues with access; some kind of courtesy bus would be required to ferry juniors to their practice sessions.

Having a great facility like that would enable us to attract major tournaments (Davis Cup perhaps) to the town with all the flow on benefits.

So lets think positively.

Horsham Council's approach throughout this whole process has been to insist on a plan that was never requested by the community and has been pushed through council purely by the fact that those that instigated the plan have had the numbers in council to bulldoze these changes through.

Nine years ago the inaugural May Park sleepout for the homeless was run by Horsham RCC, Horsham Business Association, Wimmera Uniting Care and others to raise money to house people at the extraordinary cost of $100 per night per person.

The [Golf course resort] faltered development, approved by council, is for 24 units.

In the years since the first sleepout there have been about nine years of continuing homelessness in the area.

At $100 per person per night X 24 units that results in about $7.884 million over the years missing from the Horsham economy - to say nothing of the retail and employment benefits.

Horsham could be missing out on servicing the homeless from a far wider area than just Horsham.

But perhaps it is more important that Horsham "looks" nice, particularly for passing dignitaries, than house the the local citizens.

It would be sad to see the Overland train services cease. There remains demand for a rail service linking Western Victorian residents to Melbourne.

I agree with Dave Lennon that if the South Australia Government won't pay their fair share, Victorian taxpayers shouldn't be subsidising them.

A commuter rail service that starts and terminates in Nhill and links with the V/line service in Ararat would provide a replacement of The Overland service and an answer to the call for the return of train services to Melbourne from this region.

The benefit of The Overland for passengers with mobility issues is the train service along the whole journey, without the need of buses to link the train services.

The commuter rail service can be the answer to this dilemma - apart from when buses replace trains from Ararat or Ballarat as we have experienced due to works along the line.

The Overland is a vital link between the communities it serves. Many individuals in South Australia and Victoria depend on this service.

It's imperative that it continue beyond 31 March 2020. V/Line should be contracted to operate this service in the event that an agreement can not be reached with Journey Beyond Rail Expeditions senior management.

Having just travelled on the Overland from Adelaide to Melbourne, I cannot believe that the South Australian government will not come to the party to fund this quiet treasure.

Tasmania prides itself on these types of services, but I have yet to come across one that matches the Overland in its service to the traveller.

The quality of the service it provides not only to its passengers but also to the townships along the line is beyond par.

Hang your head in shame South Australian government,there is more to life than money.

Your heritage is what should rule your purse.