I find it difficult to understand the inherent logic of any of the positions presented in the article ‘New store tipped to keep cash in town’, Midland Express, March 27).
A report, commissioned in 2012 by Mount Alexander Shire Council, estimates what it calls an ‘aggregate escape of spending’ to be at 59 percent in the shire. So, of what locals have to spend, more than half is probably spent in other locations. This is not based on hard data though. It takes an assumption about a population’s average spending power and then relates that to the amount of retail space in town, factored by an income rate per square meter of that floor space per annum. It tells us we don’t have enough places to spend our money locally, so we must spend it elsewhere. That is a big assumption, especially in a town like Castlemaine, but let us accept it for now.
There is a second assumption; spending money in our town is better than spending it elsewhere. I generally agree with this, but then it all depends on the detail. There is a difference between buying bread from a local baker or services from a local electrician and spending our income at the pokies or, and here is the rub, buying all our groceries from an Aldi or a Coles or a Woolworths even if they are situated in our town. And that is what we are talking about, we are not likely to see a third independent supermarket in town.
A third assumption is that spending money in town increases employment. Again context; large supermarkets are automating their checkouts and packing systems employing fewer and fewer people. Large supermarkets also cut prices to reduce competition and reduced competition means reduced employment.
Where is the logic, or indeed why is the logic faulty?

Geoff Crosby, Castlemaine

Despite everyone’s complete admiration for the work Windarring does, there are two major problems with its proposal to take control of the old Kyneton primary school site (‘School rescue plan’, Express, April 4).
Firstly, if they buy the school site it will no longer be in public ownership. This asset, which was bought by the Kyneton community and the Victorian Government in 1860s for public education, would fall into private hands.
If anything goes wrong, the land could be sold off to the highest bidder … lost to the community forever!
My second criticism is a graver concern. The community will lose control of the precinct for community use and benefit. We would only be allowed to use the premises as a guest of Windarring.

The vision of the community taking responsibility and control of our town square would disappear.
The concept of community management has the potential to bring Kyneton residents of all ages and backgrounds together to share a common space. The project has the capacity to embed our lives in the
lives of others. This is an essential part of the social fabric of belonging.
On May 6 there will be a public meeting in Kyneton to form an Incorporated Community Town Square Organisation … a management structure for the school site underpinned by strong democratic ideals.
Windarring has expressed to us over many months, a strong interest in securing a long-term lease of space in a community run centre. We welcome them with open arms! This outcome would put a tidy 1.6 million dollars in their
bank account, saved from not having to invest in real estate.

Rob Bakes, Pastoria

In a report on an accident caused by safety barriers in your newspaper (March 27), reference is made to VicRoads’ data showing that barriers save lives.
All such data are necessarily flawed because there is no record of the accidents which do not happen when drivers have adequate space to manoeuvre. Nobody reports a near-miss.
Blind Freddie can see that the barriers generally reduce the options for getting out of trouble.
In the last two weeks, I have witnessed three possible accidents avoided by drivers using space available in the median strip of the Calder Highway.
The space would not have been available had barriers been installed in those places.

Melvyn Cann, Gisborne

Macedon Ranges Shire Council is now seeking a 2018/2019 budget allocation to review motor bike laws. If successful it will be a step back in time where backyard barbecues won’t be possible. They are striving to be the laughing stock of Victoria, at least five of the nine councillors are.
The council appears to be flush with money. We all know this is not the case. Whatever the review costs, surely any community project or sporting club could make better use of the money, or it could be spent on parks or roads, anything would be better than a motor bike review that will in future be overturned when residents complain of motor bikes tearing around in suburban backyards. We have been here before.
I was told by a councillor that this issue stems from a person in one of the councillor’s wards who has 39 acres and wants to use it as a training facility for off-road bike riders. The person apparently finds the current 500-metre buffer too restrictive. The distance should actually be 1000 metres.
Most residents have a life and are not constantly monitoring what the council is up to. The first they will know of this is when there is the noise and dust of several dirt bikes roaring around.
I thought that MRSC was striving to make the Macedon Ranges a better place to live, that’s why we live here. Dirt bikes have no place close to homes. What a joke.

Peter Dickinson, Romsey

I am senior solicitor in Melbourne pushing 57 and hoping that I might adorn the podium of the 2018 Tour de France in the Champs-Élysées in July. However, because of what happened on Sunday March 11, I might have to aim for July 2019.
I love coming to your neck of the woods, both as a cyclist and also as a general visitor. Both Kyneton and Woodend have some lovely cafes and places to look around and they are a perfect starting point for a trip up the famous Mount Macedon and the spooky Hanging Rock.
Of course, most of us velo-weaklings go the easy way up from the north whereas the toughies go the extraordinarily hard way up from the south from Gisborne direction.
On March 11, I came from Kyneton through the back roads and not along the freeway and then made my way up the ‘easy’ Mount Macedon Road.
Unfortunately for reasons that are not known to me, I decided to face plant myself at around about 75km/h over the handlebars onto the tarmac of the very steep downhill section of Mount Macedon.
I wish to write to say a very big ‘thank you’ to the many people who came to my aid at the time. I would say that there were about 10 people looking after me including a proper nurse and a proper policeman.
Thank you to everybody who helped me and I’ll be back again for another trip up Mount Macedon when my health resumes. It is a lovely neck of the woods and I will certainly be spending my few dollars on a lovely coffee and cake at one of the many wonderful little cafes there. Congratulations to your local community and thank you very much.

Glenn Hanafin, Docklands

It is alarming and sad to hear that a pet cat was shot in a suburban yard (‘Cat shot in cruel act’, Express, March 20).
It is also worrying to hear that the cat was outside late at night when its humans were sleeping. Cats’ nocturnal hunting, a natural activity for them, results in the death of many small native creatures. Best way to keep both cats and native fauna alive and well? Keep cats inside at night.

Pat Healy, Chewton

Lucy Young of The Hub Foundation and Plastic Bag Free Castlemaine wrote an interesting article in the Express on March 20.

When does something we’ve bought become rubbish and can expect it to be taken away from a street bin?

What is rubbish?

Something we no longer want. We carry a drink container maybe while drinking the contents then immediately want to discard the can or bottle once we’ve finished the drink.

Can’t you continue carrying it and put it into your car to take home and recycle from there? I often put things into my bag to take home if there’s no recycling bin available.

We have an attitude of put it in the bin and it’ll be taken care of. Then we can just buy another container. Would love to have deposits on bottles, then everyone would certainly collect them.

Winters Flat primary is great with no bins. Each room has a compost bin and a recycling bin. Lunches, ‘nude’ food, are eaten inside. No problems with crows getting into bins in the yard and massive composting, worm farms and recycling going on. Proving we don’t need all that wrapping etc. I’m for no bins.

Chris Hooper, Castlemaine

Great news that a new supermarket is coming to Castlemaine. Great news for the whole shire, as yes, it will greatly reduce the bleed of money out of our Shire (Midland Express, March 27).
I would anticipate that people will not drive to Maryborough or Bendigo for one or two specials as they will have a bigger variety of goods here to choose from. This is the good news. The bad news is that also on the front page of the Midland Express is a council staff member telling all and sundry the amount of hoops the developers will need to jump through before the building can begin. People of the shire don’t need to see the negativity oozing from town hall, nor do tourists or potential house or business buyers who might pick up this paper for a quick read. The developers know what they need to do before works can begin as they obviously build supermarkets for a living. So council, enough of the negativity; put more effort and emphasis on the positives that will benefit our shire.
Oh and where is council’s Director of Sustainable Development, Jason Taylor? He seems to have been missing since late November last year (five months), as this is roughly the amount of time that council has had someone acting in his position. Could ratepayers have an answer please?
Tony Bell,
Castlemaine.