Dear Echo News,
Catherine Dixon needs to talk to people who have artificial lawn around their homes. She obviously has little knowledge of it.
Yes, it can get warmer than normal grass during the day, but that is a limited time.
At least it retains its pleasant, clean look, indicating that the owners care about the appearance of their home for themselves and their neighbours.
It does not smell! If it is put down correctly, it may shrink a little in places, but not really noticeable.
A few weeds do come up around the outer edges and are easily removed.
It does not look ugly, just the opposite, far better than all the houses that leave the front of their homes looking like deserted country with dry earth and weeds all over.
I have always believed that councils should create a law that allows them to go in and clean up the fronts of homes and charge the owner who is too lazy to do it.
Far better than having suburbs looking like totally neglected slum areas.
My last house had artificial lawns in the front and around the back, with built-in putting greens that the kids loved.
When the ‘grass’ was a bit hot, they simply wore sandals. No problem!
Sometimes, poor quality material can fade, but I found that when that happened it was covered by warranty and replaced. (I had it done.)
I like trees, but the problem you have in developments these days is that houses are built so close to the verge, that any trees planted in the front of the house finish up spreading over the houses and filling gutters with leaves, etc, creating constant workload and a fire risk.
We need them, but they have to be grown in selected areas – perhaps by council on the verge (their responsibility).
The other thing she has no idea of is that many of us old pensioner people no longer have the strength to mow lawns, do gardening, etc, nor do we have the finances to employ gardeners, so being able to make our homes look good in the neighbourhood for all to see, using artificial lawn is a definite plus.
The other huge advantage is not needing to use excessive water on lawns - water is something we have a limited supply of in WA – and getting worse.
That is another plus.
Follow Ms Dixon’s plans and the use of water will escalate enormously, something WA cannot manage until it decides to bring water down from the north through the centre of WA.
An idea the government keep putting off.
Maybe Ms Dixon likes the unkempt fronts with dry earth and weeds all over the place.
Incidentally, I believe these neglected areas give off more heat than the artificial lawn, and they do look ugly!
S Oliver
Ellenbrook
Dear Echo News,
While on a regular visit to Midland, my wife and I were able to get the Echo News and there were two items I wish to comment about in the January edition.
Firstly, suggestions on reducing the pedestrian fatalities.
No matter what the police and Main Roads do they will continue to happen.
There is nothing wrong with the roads, it is the way the road users drive on them.
They are not listening to what the police are telling them.
Accidents will continue until road users change their attitude in the way they drive.
Secondly, shopping trolleys being dumped.
Supermarkets supply them to customers as a courtesy.
On the east coast, Cairns in particular, at IGA and Woolies their trolleys cannot go past the checkout.
From that point customers must transfer their items to their own bags or fold up trolleys: problem solved of dumped trolleys.
F Cherry
South Lake
Dear Echo News,
I am writing in response to the article by Guanhao Cheng Kalamunda’s three headed High Wycombe challenges (Echo News, Jan 23) about planning in High Wycombe.
I have tried for many years to raise issues about development along the Darling Scarp - which has the oldest, most rare and diverse ecosystems.
I am particularly concerned about the frameworks used to make planning decisions, which are only focused on acquiring land for industry and development.
These frameworks preclude decisions about the health and wellbeing of community and environment, and about the development of economic systems that directly benefit the local community.
Planning consultations I have attended have consistently silenced many.
What happens after community ‘consultations’ remains unseen, and I have recently written to government and requested more information about this.
No reply so far.
For a future to exist that is not on fire we have no alternative but to return to a coordinated planning system that provides for housing (and development) and the environment.
The mess in High Wycombe is the outcome of an ad hoc planning process with little thought for the consequences to the wellbeing of community and environment.
I also mention the development of areas designated conservation that are more and more frequently destroyed for housing.
The most recent of these is Cambridge Reserve in Forrestfield.
E Kahlo
Forrestfield
Dear Echo News,
I get frustrated when I see that nothing is being done to make Australia Day a day all about Australia itself, not a day of white invasion, or any other clash of races.
Australia Day is now all about multi-cultural Australia, not any invasion.
So, I see no reason not to change the date to one that will be accepted by all, especially Australia’s first inhabitants, Aboriginal people.
From all historical research reports, Aboriginal people have been in Australia for over 50,000 years, so why does the government not give them the right to choose a day in which they would be happy.
There was no calendar then, so no way of knowing just when the Aboriginal people arrived here, but that does not matter.
All that matters is that we have an “Australia Day” that accepts all people, regardless of race, and says that Australia is our great country!
You only have to look at all the different races that have just been granted Australian citizenship to see just what a great multi-cultural country Australia has become.
It is time the media, who have enormous power, started to put pressure on the government to make the change. We do not want to continue to see our Aboriginal people upset about the terrible suffering they had to contend with in the early ‘invasion’ days.
S Oliver
Ellenbrook
