Letters, November 9, 2022

Bitterly disappointed

I WRITE as a bitterly disappointed former police officer who laments the rushed legislation this government has slid through to empower them to demolish the heritage listed Thebarton Police Barracks.

Apparently to build a new Womens and Childrens Hospital.

Sad news, as we all welcome a new hospital to better accommodate and treat our kids, but why can it not be built somewhere else that does not have to obliterate a heritage site and a place that I remember as a bustling hive of great activity in years gone by.

SAPOL housed at the Barracks motor mechanics, panel beaters, auto electricians, carpenters, painters, tradies, saddlers, along with police units, like Traffic, Driver Training Emergency Operations, a fully operational mess, canteen, and a large accommodation block, orderly room, barrack master, vehicle compound and the list goes on.

Sadly as SAPOL shrank and outsourced all its self-managed auxiliary functions, the barracks have been reduced to the current Mounted Unit, Dog Operations Unit and the world class Historical Society Museum.

A lot of history and memories will go down with this lack of regard for anything historical and I imagine the ghosts of hundreds of coppers will be spinning in their graves.

Shame, shame, shame.

Paul Williams, Strathalbyn
Former SAPOL and current Police Historical Society member

Hahndorf plan scuttled

For more than 30 years the community Association and the Hahndorf Business and Tourism Association have been lobbying for a town bypass, for safety of residents and tourists, so that large trucks and commuter through traffic don’t congest and block our narrow main street.

The council’s own consultation with townsfolk noted that a bypass and additional parking were the priority concerns of the community.

Governing bodies then went to consultants who knew little about the town or its problems and a ‘beautification’ project was hatched.

Not what was most needed!

Then money for a bypass was promised by the Federal Government in 2020.

Now, because of some ‘not in my backyard’ protests, the project team is attempting to pull the plug on the project, with a revised option to beautify the street in conjunction with Mt Barker Council, which will not solve, maybe even increase the safety and traffic problems we have experienced for many years.

Mt Barker Council, stand up and support what Hahndorfians want.

Stop dithering with the Main Street and push for the bypass.

The problem is being exacerbated year on year.

Where are you when we need you?

Harold Gallasch, Main Street, Hahndorf

Long-term planning

IN relation to the story Housing Headache (The Courier, November 2), it never ceases to amaze me how bureaucrats and politicians can’t look past the veil of the next election in three years to make decisions.

Then the howling starts with cries for more money/roads/infrastructure.

A long term (30–50 year) plan, based on a forecasting, should encompass urban sprawl, population growth, infrastructure requirements, and land use to future-proof today’s needs and goals. Too often we build something for now with no thought for the future.

Mr Stuart is still asking for a commitment to a 2012 request and all Nick Champion is considering is that land is available for housing needs (land we have plenty of, for now).

A plan for growth of 80,000 new residences instead of 8000 might require more forward thinking, but also today’s pontificators will just put their hand out and say it wasn’t their fault.

I’d suggest the headache stems from inept bureaucrats.

The council was told by developers/builders (in a private meeting) that to build more homes they needed material supply chains fixed … selling more house blocks with insufficient materials to build homes is a pointless exercise.

Solve the underlying issues and the headaches will vanish!

Adam Oaten, Bugle Ranges

Funding priorities

I AM amazed at the extra $2.6m funding from the Federal Government, let alone the $100,000 from the Adelaide Hills Council, to provide an extension of the Amy Gillett bikeway between Mt Torrens and Birdwood (The Courier, November 2).

During these times of financial hardship, is the bikeway extension really necessary? While the project is a nice way to honor Amy’s memory, I would have thought its current length would be adequate until better financial times occur.

Driving past from start to finish several times a week, particularly at weekends, I have yet to count more than about 12 users at any one time, two of whom would probably have been dogs, and some children in pushchairs. Many times of the day it is completely empty.

At the same time, many cyclists continue to ride on the main road, sometimes at two abreast.

For the motorist it is a matter of dodging the potholes in the road, trying to pass safely through some narrow bridges, and looking at the overgrown roadside hedges desperate for a cut ready for the bushfire season.

So, should all these dangers to road traffic users be fixed before spending more money on the almost empty bikeway? I’m certain many Hills residents would appreciate it in the interests of safer driving conditions.

S. Tarrant, Hahndorf

Parental responsibility

THE home environment that we grew up with creates, to a large degree, the value system we apply throughout life.

Children as young as 10 stealing and smashing cars at all hours of the night are condemned for this situation.

May I ask what their parents are doing about it? It’s time to make parents responsible for the damage and costs incurred. This soft and mis-directed treatment of these issues breeds tomorrow’s problems.

Glen Chenoweth, Goolwa North

Dollar driven

MINING and burning coal to produce energy has been judged by the UN and many scientists as the major cause of human-induced climate change. There is a mountain of evidence available that  supports this view. It’s beyond understanding that mining and burning coal is still allowable in Australia. One can only assume that as long as it continues to earn massive dollars for Australia, any change will be most unlikely.

The dollar rules supreme.

Brian Measday, Myrtle Bank