Landowners can help meet shire’s tree target
Mornington Peninsula Shire council is to be commended on the quality of its draft Urban Forest Strategy (Bid to avoid tree ‘recession’, The News, 4/6/24). The strategy reports that tree canopy cover in the shire ranges from 14 per cent at Safety Beach to 50 per cent at Arthurs Seat; that areas with more canopy cover are cooler and have higher levels of community health; and that properties in tree-lined streets are valued up to 30 per cent higher than those without.
The goal to raise average tree canopy cover from 37 per cent to 45 per cent by 2034 is ambitious but worth the effort given the last 12 months have been the hottest global average monthly temperatures on record. But because only 20 per cent of the shire is public land, a significant improvement in tree canopy can be made by private landowners.
Visiting mornpen.gov.au/urbanforest, completing the short online survey, downloading the strategy, and participating in a chat session or webinar are good ways to get involved and help turn around the peninsula’s past canopy decline (1.5 per cent between 2014 and 2018).
Ray Peck, Hawthorn
Save the trees
Well done to Mornington Peninsula Shire Council for the draft plan for reducing the loss of trees on the Mornington Peninsula (Bid to avoid tree ‘recession’, The News, 4/6/24). A great place to start would be the better enforcement of fines for the reckless residents who are removing native trees at a rapid rate. Every day full blocks are cleared of the protected coastal moonah and tea tree, fence line to fence line in Blairgowrie, Sorrento and Rye. Fines are so low, and the council seems reluctant or under-resourced to enforce them The beauty of our peninsula is at risk of being lost to the suburban dream.
Mary Mey, Blairgowrie
Courtesy missing
I write as a resident of Hastings for the past 58 years, chair of the committee of the former Southern Cross Aged Care Hostel, out of interest and concern for the lack of public consultation or announcement of the sale of The Bays Aged Care in Hastings. Added to that concern is the fact that I have been made aware that no invitation was extended to a recent volunteer’s morning tea to Janice Danaher OAM a life member recognised for her numerous years of service as a Pink Lady at Hastings Bush Nursing Hospital aged care.
I make particular reference to the former Hastings Bush Nursing Hospital founded in the 1930s by the late Dr Haywood and over the ensuing years, up until amalgamation with The Bays, was extensively funded and supported by the local Hastings and district community.
The descendants of those pioneer families still retain a great interest in their hospital and in my humble opinion are more than rightfully deserving of the courtesy of being kept abreast of the future changes which the board of The Bays Healthcare Group have sanctioned to occur with the transfer of responsibility for aged care services to Apollo Care.
While I understand the demands and complexity of supply of aged care and the need of The Bays to direct funding to acute hospital needs and development of the new cancer care centre, I strongly believe the community of Hastings and the Western Port district are owed an apology for the fact that to date no formal public announcement was made.
Brian L Stahl OAM JP, Hastings
Tale of two captains
Captain Francesco Schettino (Costa Concordia) deserted his ship when it was in dire straits. On his watch: 32 people died, many others had their lives changed forever. Several investigations were undertaken, and Schettino is serving 16 years’ jail time.
The way I see it, former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews deserted the good ship Victoria when it was in dire straits.
There has been no in-depth review of the critical decisions made and their consequences, State debt reached record levels, projects are over budget and overdue and Andrews is given the country’s highest honour.
Schettino must be wondering whether he would have earned a medal for navigation if his “accident” had happened coming through the Port Phillip Heads.
Jack Wheeler, Mornington
Award undeserved
Over the Kings Birthday weekend [former Victorian premier] Dan Andrews received Australia’s most prestigious award. What were the people thinking when they recommended his award? This award goes to a man who I regard as being unable run a bath, turned one cent into a billion dollars and made $20 million disappear into thin air. Was this award for his magic or coupled with other issues for inept and poor management of projects during his time in office, or for the person who I see as being the most incompetent in Australia’s pollical history to date?
The Kings Birthday awards and honours are presented to the country’s citizens from all walks of life for saving a life, improving our lives and working towards a better life for all Australians. Indeed, recent newspaper polls show the majority of Victorian’s were disgusted with this situation. It was and still is the talk of the town and a petition was started on social media, quite rightly, asking for his award to be rescinded.
Bruce White, Safety Beach
Waiting for history
While in Hastings I took the opportunity to visit the Hastings and Westernport Museum. I found the museum very interesting and learnt a lot about the area in bygone days. However, I was disappointed that the cottage was not open to view. When I asked the attendant, he explained that the cottage was not structurally safe and as the buildings were owned by Mornington Peninsula Shire Council, the society was waiting for them to fix the building so it could be opened again to the public.
It would have been of interest to me. I am sure other people would be interested in seeing the cottage. We do not realise how people lived in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and it would be an education to see how different our living conditions today are from that period.
I imagine school children and holidaymakers would visit the museum and would also be interested in seeing the cottage and learning about our past history and actually see how our living standards have altered. I do hope the council will soon fix the cottage. It may be some time before I can visit the region again, but I will try and make it to the museum again and hopefully look over the cottage and fulfill my vision of early Western Port family living.
Heather Mackay, Heidelburg
Banking on Post
The closure of the Australia Post Office in Wells Street, Frankston has come about as the regional banking senate inquiry has made it recommendations which include a postal bank being established which would give Australia Post revenue to keep open post offices and have the postal service continue. Frankston Council did not make a submission to the inquiry. The postal bank would give the banks competition and thus would drive down interest rates and keep bank branches open. Post offices would be the branches of the postal bank.
While banks are deliberately removing cash from our economy without a vote of the Australian people if they want this to happen or not and closing bank branches. There is very little competition in the banking industry and with only four major banks you can be assured that interest rates will remain high for some time.
Russell Morse, Karingal
Drones don’t smoke
The extraordinary popularity of the Vivid light shows in Sydney has exploded this year, but quietly, thanks to the Love is in the Air drone presentations. Beautiful, colourful figures light up the sky, without the detonations of fireworks that cause such distress to so many companion animals (and many humans).
The success of the drones has shown us an obvious truth – celebrations like New Year and Australia Day could be so much better without the sudden explosions that horrify dogs and cats and cause terrified birds to abandon their nests and fly into buildings, and other animals to flee their burrows or run into traffic. Not to mention the smoke that hangs over the city afterwards and pollutes our lungs.
Fireworks are so last century. Let’s get into the modern era, dump the bangers for celebratory events, and replace them with clean, quiet drones.
Dr Desmond Bellamy, PETA Australia
