Graeme Thomas, Castlemaine
Did I hear right! Now the anti Camp Reserve campaigners may go to VCAT?
You have had your say, which is your right, and I have read all your arguments. Fair dinkum, you sound like a skit from Monty Python. You are desperately grasping at any straw to nobble the sporting groups proposal no matter how absurd. The council have made their decision, again, and you lot need to accept it and move on. I am confident you will soon find another whinge.
I am not affiliated with any sporting groups at the Camp, but a simple look at history shows is has been a sports reserve since at least 1855. A sports reserve that is home to football, netball, cricket and table tennis clubs. They are the ‘users’ of the area. Are any of you ‘real users’ of the Camp or are you just visitors that take your dog for a walk through there on your way somewhere? Visiting the Farmers Market does not make you a user. It is not a ‘green space’ either, it is a sports reserve that has other uses when available eg. the show, athletics etc. If you want a green space go to the Botanical Gardens, Victory Park or there is plenty of bush all around us.
What is it with this rubbish about a ‘special hill’ that some dead bloke pitched his tent on a long time ago.
I think you will find that nearly every hill had a tent on it in 1850 so why aren’t you stopping every house cut in Castlemaine or are you just anti sport? The area has changed from 1850 and I am yet to meet a tourist that drove several hours to check out a hill that had a tent on it in 1850. They come to see buildings and gardens. The hill has been checked for artefacts and there was none, so let go of that straw.
As for losing a couple of trees that have no significance at all, what a croc. I personally have propagated and planted hundreds of red gums, wattles and other native trees over the last 15 years and am happy to donate my ‘carbon credits’ to keep the greenies happy. May I suggest you take a walk up any of our higher hills and you will see that we have plenty of mature trees all around us in Castlemaine. Chances are we will lose more than a couple of trees in the next heavy wind, that is nature for you. And no, a couple of trees is not going to affect the world’s climate.
It’s time to accept the umpire’s decision, again, and move on. I have lived in Castlemaine all my life and assure you that you do not have the support of the majority. I fear Castlemaine seems to be attracting more than its fair share of ‘experts’ that have lived overseas or in ‘the big city’ and us country folk need their expertise because their way is the right way. It may come as a surprise, to some, that us country folk might have our own ideas on what happens in our town.
Editor’s Note: The article in last Friday’s Castlemaine Mail merely speculated that the issue may come before VCAT at a later date. There has been no confirmation of this.