OPINION: 'Rogue' Gympie cow was only trying to survive

This cow did not deserve to die, and nor do any others, for something as frivolous and trivial as momentary tastebud pleasure.

File photo of a cow. Picture: Contributed

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

REASON THE COW WENT 'ROGUE'

WE'RE told that two Nolan Meats employees are alive and well after being trampled by a "rogue” cow (The Gympie Times, April 4).

But I suspect the cow would not have been as fortunate.

The use of the word "rogue” suggests that the cow was the villain but of course, all this poor animal was trying to do was survive.

She would have sensed that a dire fate awaited her and thus, was doing everything in her power to save her precious life.

I'm sure this cow would have done nothing "villainous” in her entire life yet she was to receive the punishment of our worst criminals. Death.

This cow did not deserve to die, and nor do any others, for something as frivolous and trivial as momentary tastebud pleasure.

JENNY MOXHAM,

MONBULK, VICTORIA

Gympie man Keeley Webb was taken to Gympie Hospital after being trampled by a cow at work yesterday. Picture: Contributed

KEEP READING FOR MORE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

In defence of our high schools

IN DEFENCE of our local high schools it needs to be said that bullying students are very challenging.

They can be counselled, which is a soft option.

They can be suspended, which most find a buzz.

Just what else can the school do to stop their behaviour?

For a lot of these bullies, who are petty criminals, they are afraid of nothing.

The last controller of prisons at Boggo Road told me the only thing the worst of the worst prisoners are afraid of is being hurt themselves.

I guess in the time when bad behaviour rendered you a few good whacks, we didn't suffer from bullies.

Perhaps teachers on playground duty should be issued with a very loud alarm so that when they witness fighting they could activate the alarm and the school captains and prefects are summoned hopefully to resolve the problem.

Should a male teacher intervene and push one student away from the other he can well be accused of assault.

Unfortunately, schools can not defend themselves via the press or media so just have to cop whatever abuse is hurled at them.

They cannot tell the public that a particular student causing drama has already been dismissed from no fewer than four other schools, both public and private.

They cannot say that an inspector from Education Queensland came, inspected the file on the child and said everything possible had been done to support that student.

For those people out there who write nasty things abut our high schools put yourself in the shoes of the teachers who are trying very hard to make our schools safe for all students.

Jill Dinneen,

Southside

Roads, roads, roads

WHILST the council may have taken on more than just roads, rates and rubbish it is essential that before branching out into the grater realm, we get the basics right.

Roads are a huge issue for this council simply because we have failed to maintain them, in my opinion.

Take O'Meara Rd, for example. It used to have a milk tanker every second day, and up to 30 vehicles per day for small crop farming.

Quite heavy for a little road but now would be lucky to have three vehicles per day.

The condition of the road is the worst I have seen it in nearly 40 years.

Culverts full, drains not working, it is an embarrassment to this council and the direction it has taken to forget rural ratepayers, in my opinion.

The council would receive around $25k per year in rates from this 1.5km of road but we seem to get little in return, not even $3k to have a grader crew once a year for a day.

To suggest that the rural rate payer is propped up by the city dweller is hard to believe when you view the condition of roads.

I feel it may be the other way round.

We need to get back to basics and do them well before we branch out into other ventures.

Slashing road edges is a matter of safety and should not require complaints from drivers before intervention.

It's the simple, commonsense responsibilities that I feel some have decided don't matter as much as loss-making tourism and hospitality ventures.

It is important to see the big picture and plan for the future but getting the basics right should be the first priority, not the last.

I am hopeful that the independent review of the road network will give some clarity to the dire state of our roads.

I hope it is not another smoke and mirror exercise used to convince those who drive the roads that the potholes they drive through, blocked culverts and corrugations are figments of their imagination.

Time will tell.

Glen Hartwig,

Division 2 Councillor Gympie Regional Council

$200k should go to Little Haven

I THANK CR Bob Fredman for his response to my earlier letter to The Gympie Times regarding his non-involvement in articles in The Round-Up.

And I congratulate him on his principled refusal to use the ratepayer-funded newsletter for self-advertisement.

However, he wrongly presumed that I was referring to last year's editions.

I'm not a speed reader, but last year's Round-Ups have long since been recycled.

In my very brief letter I cited the March edition and assumed that readers would know that I meant the current Round-Up.

That I had not picked up on the significant omission last year is indicative of my usually cursory reading of the council's newsletter.

I find that it mainly reiterates information regarding council projects and decisions that are already public knowledge.

But I was shocked by Cr Fredman's estimate of what the Round-Up costs us ratepayers - "...about $200,000 a year”.

This is an extraordinary and unnecessary expense.

I suggest that the council could use a much cheaper format to disseminate information and the savings be part of its annual contribution to sustaining the invaluable palliative care services provided to our community by Little Haven.

If, as a ratepayer you feel the same way, please let your councillor or the council know.

Merv Welch,

The Palms

Change of name pointless without change of thinking

"IF GYMPIE had a different name and a different reputation it could be like the Adelaide Hills. It certainly is just as beautiful”.

Such was suggested in an article by Brendan Allen in Tuesday's The Gympie Times, and much commented on since.

Having been a resident of both areas, and remaining a semi-regular visitor to The Hills I offer the following thoughts.

I was visiting friends in The Hills last year when Bond University released the results of its "happiness project”, a study of municipalities across the country using generally accepted metrics of social and economic well-being.

Gympie rated 3.9 out of 10, The Hills rated 8.2, a depressing thing to read knowing that I had to come back here, and noticing the stark differences between the two places, again.

I'll grant that Gympie's countryside's every bit as good, better in some ways.

Gympie has better weather, less fire risk and, wisely or not, offers small acreage blocks which are rare in much of the country, the Adelaide Hills included.

But that's about where any comparisons end, socially, economically and certainly in thinking.

There's no way the people of The Hills, even those who use the echo-chambers that Facebook offers, would waste their time discussing a name change, as has been a prominent feature of Gympie news this week.

Such things as changing names, even logos, of large institutions come at huge costs and have rarely achieved anything. But it's a good way to be seen to be doing something when nothing of note's being done.

I expect little more from an electorate rusted on to a political party which represents the majority of the poorest electorates right across the country, the National Party (true story, do some research).

A change of name for Gympie would be totally pointless without a change of thinking.

Dave Freeman,

Cedar Pocket

State Government needs to get moving

FOR many years, J Gillies has written the same tired old letters with the same hackneyed criticism about wanting ideas, while presenting none of her own.

Unlike J Gillies and her Labor mates I am delivering results.

The Budget presented on Tuesday night funds the LNP Government's commitments in Wide Bay, including projects that will save lives on our roads - $800 million Bruce Highway Section D upgrade; the Wide Bay Highway intersection upgrade at Bells Bridge; and funding to replace Coondoo Creek Bridge, which the Labor State Government has neglected.

These are all projects that the Palaszczuk Government is responsible for managing and they need to get moving on them.

The Budget delivers also tax cuts for low and middle-income earners, putting up to $2160 a year back in the pockets of local families.

By contrast, Bill Shorten's Labor wants $200 billion in higher taxes - on workers, retirees and businesses.

Labor would shut down forestry, and its reckless 45 per cent emissions, 50 per cent renewables and 50 per cent electric cars targets would cost jobs, businesses and household budgets.

I am focussed on putting Wide Bay families and local jobs first.

Labor and J Gillies talk about "ideas”, meanwhile the Coalition Government is achieving results for Wide Bay.

Llew O'Brien,

Federal Member for Wide Bay