Thanks for coverage on Alcoa
Dear Echo News,
I just wanted to send a thank you to the Echo News for sharing our story on the recent front page Indigenous association part of Alcoa fight (September 5).
It was a lovely surprise to see our Elders on the front page and we are all so grateful for the Echo’s consistent and strong coverage of the Alcoa issue.
You have been pivotal in raising awareness of this in our community and we really appreciate how you’re always right there sharing the local news that isn’t often covered by bigger media outlets.
Thank you and thank you to Guanhao Cheng, who has also written some great articles on Alcoa.
In a random coincidence, I actually got married to one of the BNAA Board members on Friday, September 5, so now we have that front cover as a reminder of our day and all the hard work we’ve been doing in the lead up to it!
F Flynn
Director BoorYul-Bah Bilya
--------------------------------------------------------------------Permanent top cop is needed
Dear Echo News,
While the goal of safer streets in Midland is an admirable one as reported in Safer Midland initiative reinvigorated (Echo News, September 11) two words in the story suggest that this initiative will have limited effects in the community, with the implication that the program is not taken seriously by WA Police.
The article references many fine statements from the acting superintendent for Midland Jeff Beros which all sounds good at the moment, but are severely compromised by his temporary status.
What Midland and the program need to see it surely is not an ‘acting’ anything, but rather a true, fully-confirmed and empowered superintendent, whom the community knows will be around long enough and with sufficient authority to see the program though, and who has the time to get to know and understand the area and its unique features, history and cultural elements.
With no offence to Mr Beros, my experience with persons operating under an ‘acting’ authority is that little moves forward as a department is under a temporary leader who has limited power (and likely time) to change the organisation.
By maintaining an acting structure, WA Police seem to suggest that Midland is a secondary priority, and hence the Safer Midland initiative is not really one that they are willing to invest the necessary effort in to assure success.
I very much look forward to the Echo reporting the news of the appointment of a full-bottle super; I might then start believing that Midland is taken seriously (the jokes of the train station notwithstanding!).
Name withheld
South Guildford
--------------------------------------------------------------------New dog exercise area
Dear Echo News,
I would just like to express my gratitude for the City of Swan according me the time to address them at September’s agenda meeting and for their unanimous decision last week to support the creation of a fenced dog exercise area at Natham Square Park.
The dog owners I’ve had time to talk with so far, are extremely grateful, as indeed am I.
I found myself pushed to the front as a sort of one-man band / unofficial (in every possible way!) representative – a bit daunting if I stopped to think about – so I didn’t stop!
Anyhow, thank you, thank you, thank you.
I’ve also let people know of the council decision on the petition website and also on the Swan View Dog Park Community FB site.
G Ross
Swan View
Climate action needed
Dear Echo News,
I started off looking at an article regarding Andrew Hastie who says he’s prepared to quit the Liberal Party front bench in opposition to a ‘net zero’ policy.
I was about to comment using the Robert Burns poem ‘To a mouse’ where he says (in translation) ‘Little, sleek, cowering, timorous beast, Oh, what a panic is in your breast! You need not start away so hasty’.
A simple transference from hasty to Hastie seemed to be a fair match. But another part of the same poem is also relevant:
‘Still you are blessed, compared with me! The present only touches you: But oh! I backward cast my eye, On prospects dreary! And forward, though I cannot see, I guess and fear!’
Many years ago, I was in Afghanistan and commented on the houses with stones on the roof, saying that it seemed dangerous.
My colleague, who knew much more about Afghanistan that me, said that although there were earthquakes, they were relatively far apart in time and location.
The recent earthquakes in that country strongly suggest that early action is more sensible than ignorance or wishful thinking.
It is a mainly unquestioned fact that climate change is well established, whether or not disputed by the Hasties of this world.
However, we are doing too little and perhaps even too late to save future generations and the jobs of people like Mr Hastie.
W Buchanan
Kalamunda
