Letters, October 12, 2022

Community effort

I WOULD like to take this opportunity to thank a number of people who gave their time in preventing residents of Echunga being inundated with water from a nearby dam.

To the property owner, for his quick action notifying the appropriate authorities to act immediately in lowering the contents of the dam, thank you mate! Nobody could have predicted what mother nature cast upon us.

To the volunteers from the SES who came from as far as Noarlunga through to Wynn Vale to help, thank you.

To the SES personnel who manned West Street, giving us updates and helping to sandbag my front door, I am most grateful for the support.

The crew that made the precarious descent down the rain sodden, grassy paddock to the dam, with pumps in tow, showed everyone watching on, that you were determined to tackle the problem head on, well done!

To the crew who ventured into the cold, slippery conditions of the dam itself with the arduous task of coaxing the suction pipes to draw water to the pumps, I take my hat off to you, thank you for the job that you all performed.

As I said to those who asked, the SES has done a bloody marvellous job!

I would also like to thank the crew from the Echunga Recreation Grounds who opened up the football clubrooms and provided a much-needed feed and hot cuppa, after a sleepless night – it was greatly appreciated, thank you to all who helped. In closing, I can only say, that the community spirit is alive and well in the Hills.

Steve Jones, Echunga

Typical government

I REFER to page 4 (The Courier, September 21) regarding the fallen tree at Oakbank on September 10.

My advice to the Adelaide Hills Council is to listen to your people or ratepayers and act on the day of the incident not days or so later. According to Mrs Francis, you were told about the condition of the tree on September 6, but no real action was taken.

Here we have a tree fallen on September 10 but crews didn’t attend until September 11, and the site cleared by the council on Monday, September 12. The council spokesperson says the council was aware of the fallen tree, then why wait a day or days before attending the site? The council says concerned residents should call the council’s customer service line, well Mrs Francis did didn’t she? What happened?

Typical government.

Robert Fladrich, Murray Bridge

Honesty appreciated

TO the person who handed in my basket to the newsagency at Mt Barker Central Shopping Centre a sincere thank you. I was very relieved and humbled by your honesty. Again, thank you.

C. Paech, Littlehampton

Home business

I BUILT a home in one of the new estates at Mt Barker six years ago.

I thought my area was zoned residential until the person in the house opposite me opened a personal services business last month, operating out of the property.

It has operating hours up to 10pm Monday–Wednesday and 11pm Thursday–Sunday. On the weekend they offer appointments from 9am.

They have advertising signage visible from the property 24/7.

The council has approved this business with no consideration for the impact on other residents in the area.

I suspect there are many people who have recently built, or are intending to build in the Mt Barker Council area who, like me, never thought that a business like this would be approved in a residential development.

Pam McEvoy, Mt Barker

Australian trees

WELL okay, the trees on Wellington Road have gone now and, like some others I felt very sad.

But please, please put some decent Australian native trees in and not any of those ridiculous palm trees – after all this is the South Australian Mt Lofty Ranges – not the Middle East!

Jan Ward, Woodchester

Traffic congestion

THE State Government appears to have finalised its local road infrastructure commitment (The Courier, September 28).

I have no doubt  the proposed developments have merit.

However, the effort, political KPIs and costs which will fund these developments will push into obscurity any hope we may have held in solving the major pending traffic crisis in this region.

I am referring to the traffic congestion in the centre of Mt Barker, in particular the congestion of Adelaide Road between the high school roundabout, and the freeway.

Neither of the infrastructure commitments made last week will help alleviate this.

Public statements from Mt Barker council regarding traffic congestion seem to be limited to the completion of the Heysen Boulevard, (another necessary initiative, but one which does not help the Adelaide Road congestion). Examination of the Mt Barker Council’s website identifies a lot of broad arching statements about the issues, but very little in the way of concrete plans to alleviate the problem, particularly in relation to Adelaide Road.

I believe the only option in the future is to link the Heysen Boulevard to the freeway, west of the Mt Barker township.

A link will be expensive and complicated, negotiating land acquisitions and environmental issues, but this will be the only way to prevent a traffic (and safety) disaster in future years.

We are fortunate to have a State Government local member who appreciates this, but it will take a massive amount of will, financial commitment and co-operation between all three levels of Government to keep this issue moving forward.

We are in danger of being forgotten again, now that the State Government has set its priorities, and we have lost the opportunity to plan for a link from Heysen Boulevard to the upgraded Hahndorf interchange.

I encourage anyone concerned to speak with our government representatives at all levels, and keep this in sharp focus during upcoming local government elections.

Graham Hughes, Mt Barker