Here are four letters to the Editor dealing with important issues affecting our community: a suggestion that Redlands whitewater venue events be dropped from the Brisbane 2032 Games, the poor state of the Council owned Cleveland Aquatic Centre, plans for upgrading the Dunwich ferry terminal, and removal of koala habitat by Ormiston College.
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Redlands whitewater venue is unviable and not wanted by the community
I sent a detailed submission and multiple emails with additional information to the IOC President and Executive Board about the recent information that the IOC are considering rationalising Games venues, and pointing out that the Redlands whitewater venue is an ideal candiate as it is unviable and not wanted by the community.
I received somewhat dismissive responses from Mr Klaue, Director Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department, stating that planning responsibility rests with the Local Authority and my comments have been ‘noted’.
The foundation of my submission was that the IOC Executive Committee has recently decided to provide more stringent requirements for venues on Games delivery partners: i.e. before local planning/infrastructure delivery even starts.
I contended that if the IOC Executive Board wants to demonstrate their commitment to this new approach, then the Redlands whitewater venue is the ideal facility on which to do that – let the world know they are serious about this new, sensible approach.
My concern is that in maintaining their current path the Olympic brand will be badly damaged. The IOC has already suffered reputational damage after backflipping on ‘New Norm’ and climate ‘Net Positive’ requirements – as eloquently articulated in a recent Courier Mail newspaper article – by a former Olympian. Actively implementing the new approach is possibly the last chance for the IOC to ‘turn the ship around’.
I still contend that if the IOC is serious about “sustainable, long-term benefits for the host region and its people” (as stated by Mr Klaue in one of his responses to me) then the IOC Executive Board must not only ‘note’ the issues raised but seriously consider and act on them.
I also advised Mr Klaue of a recent article in an Australian national newspaper which alleges that one of the main reasons the Brisbane Organising Committee is doggedly progressing the Redlands Whitewater venue is to ‘save face’. Surely we can expect that the IOC is above that and abides by higher standards.
Irrespective, neither article casts the IOC in the best of light.
I am not a lobbyist for vested commercial or political interest. I am just one of the many, many ordinary Redland residents (78% by survey) who believe they will have to live with a long term negative legacy of this particular venue.
I have asked Mr Klaue to present my argument to the members of the Executive Board so they are, indeed, fully apprised of the issues surrounding this venue. His response to date concluded with “Your arguments now well noted”
I would like to see confirmation that the IOC Board is taking the concerns of Redland residents seriously and that the IOC Board is indeed made aware of the views of Redlanders.
K.E.
Birkdale
Cleveland Aquatic Centre
I have just read the petition from Thea Hunter on the Redland Shire Council website called “Prioritise Cleveland Aquatic Centre and replace the children’s slide” which resonated with me.
As a long-time user of the Cleveland Aquatic Centre, three times a week for 30 years, I would like to echo the notion that Redlands Council cannot adequately maintain what is a fairly simple aquatic facility and would be well out of their depth (no pun intended) managing a modern whitewater facility such as that proposed for Birkdale into the future.
The general aquatic centre facilities are old, very average in standard and well below an acceptable standard in the change rooms where:
– the roof sheets are riddled with holes from a hail event and have not been fixed for literally years. Fail!
– the change rooms have no windows so ventilation is poor and stifling humidity is prevalent in the warmer months. I had spoken to the pool managers 18 months ago about this and they had an unused industrial fan which they put in the male change room and it made a huge difference…..until Council did an inspection and told them to remove the fan. Unbelievable! Fail!
I hope these examples from the aquatic centre add to and further validate the wide-spread community concern against the proposed whitewater facility at Birkdale because my observation over thirty years of use of the aquatic centre is that Redland Council are patently unable and unwilling to fund works to rectify simple things such as a slide for children or change room facilities so what hope would the whitewater facility have? It will become dilapidated and a very expensive millstone around the neck of every rate payer.
T.C.
Redlands
Dunwich terminal: A real master plan is required
What struck me most was not the appearance of the ferry terminal at Dunwich but rather the lack of real planning behind it. The proposal feels less like a carefully considered vision and more like a collection of facilities simply fitted onto the available land.
Good planning starts by asking basic questions. How many passengers use the ferries? How many parking spaces are needed now and in the future? How will people move safely between buses, ferries, barges and nearby destinations? Yet it seemed these questions have not been addressed.
The terminal does not exist in isolation. It is the gateway to North Stradbroke Island and should connect seamlessly with the wider Gumpi community, including One Mile, Harold Walker Jetty, Quampi Cultural Centre and the island’s transport network. Instead, the proposal feels like a sealed box with little consideration of what happens beyond its boundaries.
Parking is the most obvious example. Everyone knows parking is already a major problem, yet the proposed solution appears minimal. Ignoring the issue does not make it disappear. The lack of a clear emphasis on the heritage of the precinct is alarming and its no excuse that the plan was just a concept. The lack of priority for the convict causeway was a poor start for any concept.
I was also surprised by assumptions about relocating water taxi services without what appears to be a thorough understanding of local marine conditions. Islanders know that weather and wind matter.
The project budget may be limited, but that is no excuse for limited thinking. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a gateway that works for residents, visitors and businesses. What is needed is a holistic vision, not simply a rearrangement of existing problems.
S.H.
Cleveland
Ormiston College tree clearing
One things that stands out for me is the abject gormlessness of Ormiston College.
The land they cleared for a sports field would have instead provided brilliant educative fieldwork for environmental science, and its cohort, biological science. Students could study long term effects of climate, analyse the components of ecosystems, and even conduct field experiments. Having such a rich ecosystem right next door would allow students continuity of monitoring as well as a real area of forest to explore and examine.
What do you learn from a sports field or in the case of Ormiston, from their already many sports fields? How quickly bruises repair? Or how devastating were the measures taken to bring more yet more sports facilities into being?
M.K.
Bulimba
More letters to Redlands2030
Ormiston koalas, Pauline Hanson, Cleveland pool, and local news – in letters
Parking, Penrith, and public opposition – in letters to Redlands2030
Water park project, waste collection, and housing affordability – letters
