Letters to the Editor published by the Redland City Bulletin are an important way for Redlanders to raise issues, and some of them are very entertaining to read.
Sadly the Bulletin will be closing in early April, so you won’t be able to flick through the paper to see Letters to the Editor.
Redlands2030 has been publishing letters from our readers for several years and we will continue providing this important forum for our local community.
We will publish letters expressing a wide range of views, including those we don’t agree with. We think it’s important that people can have their say about what matters to them.
If you have something to say to the Redlands community, email your letter to theeditor@redlands2030.net
Do you want a white water centre?
Council has repeatedly claimed that there is widespread public support for the proposed Redlands Olympics 2032 Whitewater Centre on the 62 hectares of land comprising the Birkdale Community Precinct (BCP).
This is simply not the case.
I have analysed the Council’s own consultation data, which was obtained by the community through a Right to Information application. The data clearly shows that Redlanders overwhelmingly support sensitive, low-impact, nature-based use of the BCP land, and we clearly want to protect and enjoy the Natural, Indigenous Cultural, and European Heritage values of this special site.
An industrial-size Olympic Whitewater Centre is none of these – and it will severely impact these values.
Yet Redland City Council continues to portray our community’s support for the 62 hectare Birkdale Community Precinct as specific support for the Whitewater Centre, to be sited within it. In my opinion, this is misleading, even deceitful.
In truth, Redland ratepayers have never been specifically asked if we want an Olympic Whitewater Centre.
I challenge the Council to ask Redlanders the specific question: “Do you want an Olympic Whitewater Centre in the City?” on ‘Your Say’
And Council – be honest!
When you ask us, fully and clearly describe what the Whitewater Centre will look like and show us its impact on the BCP site.
Let people know that of the last six Whitewater Centres built for the Olympic Games – Athens, Beijing and Rio de Janeiro are abandoned, while Sydney, London and Tokyo are running at a loss.
Find out and tell us how much a Redlands Whitewater Stadium will cost to operate and maintain.
And then ask us if we want one.
K.E.
Birkdale
Heritage Listing of G.J. Walter Park
I was delighted to read that a petition is going to be presented to the Redland City Council for the G.J. Walter park to be nominated for inclusion in the Queensland Heritage Register. There are so many aspects of this park that make it worthy of Heritage listing.
This is one of the last bayside public parks accessible to the public, on Moreton Bay. A wonderful drawcard for tourists and it is a valuable asset to the whole community for a variety of reasons. For sports events, dog walking and the vast array of wildlife, notably koalas .The value of the mangroves is increasingly important as Climate change creates rising sea levels and erosion is an increasing issue.
Having the Park heritage listed may maintain its beauty and environmental value, for years to come. Maintaining and preserving the area for our Indigenous Australians as part of their cultural inheritance is essential. Something which will make the Redland City councillors proud when they and ratepayers look back in years to come and celebrate its beauty.
J.F.
Stradbroke Island
Ormiston College koala habitat
I’m referring to your article “Koalas threatened by Ormiston College expansion plans” on Redlands2030 Newsletter – 14 March 2023.
Sadly I read that the development plans for prime koala habitats in Redlands continue.
I hope that they (Ormiston College, Redland Council, Queensland Government) will have good sense and they will not destroy this critical koala habitat. This Koala priority zone and core Koala habitat and not only for koalas must be protected.
Ormiston College, please teach to respect the koala’s home, you are lucky to see them in the wild.
Be serious at the local, state and federal levels about saving critical koala habitat. Extinction is now. The world is watching.
P.T.
Italy
White water white elephant
Further to objections to ex-Commonwealth Community land we, the people, were permitted to view over a two-day period with young and old writing on the boards provided. From my perspective, there was no interest shown on the prominently displayed man-made white water rafting centre.
Local builders wanted to develop the Birkdale land for decades but the Federal Government refused to sell to Redland Council in order to protect the WWII Radio-Receiving Station on the site. This is where the people of Australia received the message saying that WWII was over.
The building is in near perfect condition and looks today as if military personnel had just left it.
Along with other elderly residents I rode the train around to see the sights. I am concerned that we were not just taken for a ride on the train!
So I ask, when was it decided that the Birkdale land would become a white water centre? When was the deal done? Can we stop it?
Allow me to have my say on how our money, yours and mine, would be better spent! What most of us wanted to see on the land and what we wrote about on boards provided over that 2-day period!
I saw people who wanted nature trails, heritage sites protected, action to preserve, and enhance native flora and fauna. Perhaps a natural lagoon, and a carefully constructed waterway with water falling over boulders, running among native plants, shrubs, and retaining trees for our fast-disappearing wildlife.
Isn’t this what we want instead of a man-made water-based structure for one event in the 2032 Olympics? Such a facility will likely end up a ‘white elephant’ as in other places…Beijing being one of them.
A.G.
Capalaba
Previous letters to the Editor
Here are more letters to the Editor:
Whitewater plans, World Wetlands Day and saving Trove
Toondah Project – perspectives and questions about the Draft EIS
Local Residents Say NO To Toondah
The Editor – Redlands2030
Please note: Offensive or off-topic comments will be deleted. If offended by any published comment please email thereporter@redlands2030.net
3 Comments
Good idea R2030, without the RCB the first gap for most people will be the check of issues that ordinary folk raise. The loss of the RCB is one thing but the loss of the letters page….that is serious.
I hope people take it upon themselves to take up your offer!
Further on the Birkdale Community Precinct to be transformed into an eye-watering costly Whitewater Rafting Centre.
How, when and who decided this land was the right place to mine the land for such a destructive project on our..i.e. the Redland community’s, land? We didn’t ask for it, and we don’t want it.
This plan needs to be scrapped as it doesn’t make sense to build a Whitewater Centre on the 62-hectare Birkdale Community Precinct for 2032 Olympics. As others have stated…we want sensitive, low-impact nature based projects on the land that would be impossible were heavy equipment permitted to track through to mine and bulldoze the land, forever destroying the natural environment so sorely needed at this end of the City.
As for using the facility for swiftwater/disaster resilience/training, one of the best places in Nth Queensland is the Tully Gorge…in natural, crystal clear whitewater rapids, on the Tully River. The Tully Gorge Course is one of Australia’s best whitewater rivers and one of the world’s most demanding courses. Training there is ‘as close to real-life scenarios as possible’. WHY would anyone even think of training anywhere else other than in a natural swiftwater crystal clear whitewater training Centre in one of the world’s most demanding courses on the Tully River, Nth Queensland.
Don’t muddy the waters on our Redland Community’s precious land in Birkdale. It belongs to we the people in Redland City.
Well said, and a view echoed by QFS, in a 2020 ABC News article:
‘Queensland Fire and Rescue has used the [Tully Gorge] site for more than a decade.
“This is arguably the best training location in the southern hemisphere, if not the world. I believe the instructor group have developed a course that is second to none,” said instructor John Roche.
“We’ve travelled all through Tasmania, Victoria, we’ve looked for other locations — there’s no other location like the Tully Gorge.” ‘