Culvert heros
Dear Echo News,
I would like to thank the people who came to help me get out of the culvert in O’Connor Road and Talbot Road in Swan View.
I was picking up rubbish in the area when I fell down into the culvert, damaging my right leg.
I tried to get up four or five times but was unable.
I was laying there for about half an hour before a husband and wife who were walking their dog stopped to help.
They helped me out of the culvert, and also got a ute driver to stop who helped me back to my vehicle.
The husband and wife also gave me a bottle of water in my time of need.
I didn’t get the lady or her husband’s name, but the ute driver was called Rob.
I want to thank them all for their great kindness to help me in a very difficult situation.
R Kendle
Swan View
--------------------------------------------------------------------Tree grief channelled
Dear Echo News,
I write in response to Oak tree grief questioned (Echo News, February 9).
We live in a multicultural society.
A tree is a tree whatever its origin.
In our modern world we must be inclusive.
Them, they, whatever their pronoun, whatever their roots, their ethnicity, their native title.
Some say age matters, others are impressed by size, but a significant tree by any standard should be appreciated and respected – so plant one today!
R McCrae
Swan Valley
--------------------------------------------------------------------Time to split Swan
Dear Echo News,
It doesn’t take long for a new arrival to our state to understand that it is a place of near constant and rapid change.
Nowhere is there better evidence of this than in the City of Swan, the biggest council by area with one of the largest and fastest growing populations in the metro area.
CoS is an extremely diverse Local Government Area varying from country rural to historical elements of our past to rapidly expanding brand new suburbs.
While diversity may be a blessing in many circumstances, for CoS it is becoming an increasing difficult challenge as suggested in Call for swan boundary change (Echo News, February 9) to focus both on the needs to promote community in its more-distal development areas and maintain the infrastructure and character in the older parts of the council.
These contrasts are heightened by the two widely-separated and distinct population centres.
The size, history and evolving population distribution of CoS suggest that now is a proper time to begin discussions on the eventuality of realignment of the LGA boundaries to be more accommodating of the divergent needs of the various wards and suburbs.
LGAs should be local entities to appropriately accommodate and manage the growth of new suburbs and provide the services and support needed by other more established parts of a community.
It makes sense to form a seperate city of Ellenbrook, to oversee and promote the development activities taking place in the north and to enable Midland and the southern suburbs to maintain connections to their past while modernising in ways comparable with that history.
City of Swan has been a highly successful LGA and to make sure it can continue into the future, we need to split into two councils such that each can focus on providing for the divergent needs of their community.
Dr R P Ilchik
South Guildford
--------------------------------------------------------------------The right to disconnect
Dear Echo News,
It’s time everyone gave themselves the right to disconnect.
I’m not just talking from work, I’m talking from their streaming services. With obesity driving us to diabetes and loneliness to depression; we need to get outside, start walking and smell the eucalyptus or hug one of the few remaining big trees in our rapidly disappearing urban canopy.
Even better visit your local library, volunteer or join a ukulele or climate action group like extinction rebellion grandparents, knitting nanas or parents for climate action.
It’s fun and you meet like-minded new friends and give your life new purpose.
Dr C Hughes
Midland
