What value a tree?
It’s getting to the stage where you dare not admire a beautiful tree in our area in case you Jinx it and it gets ripped out the following week (The Examiner, January 18).
I cannot believe that we would allow a 50-year-old healthy tree to be removed.
Some people just don’t get it.
It will be a rare thing for any of the plantings that are going in now to survive 50 years.
What with the lack of rainfall and water tables dropping, diseases, development etc.
We are already losing many more trees than is healthy for our environment.
Who cares if it’s not a local tree.
It still provides shade, food for birds, bees, insects, spiders etc, I bet people make use of the shade the tree provides to park their cars.
City of Gosnells owns the land the 50-year-old tree grows on, I am sure things could be redesigned around the tree.
If this not possible perhaps council could allow Ms Game and myself check the plan and work something out, (free of charge).
There is a solution to every problem, but perhaps as quoted in the article front Page Examiner, 18th January 2024, “money rules.”
It is well and truly time for a monetary value to be placed on mature and significant trees.
Regina Drummond, Kenwick
Total breakdown
I refer to Glenn Dewhurst’s column (Examiner, January 11, 2024).
For all the “do gooder” years that brought in rules that children should not be corrected for their wrong doings, we are now reaping the benefits of a total breakdown in society and we have no one to blame but ourselves.
All you have to do is look at Queensland and the wild behaviour in Logan where juveniles are obstructing ambulances on route to an emergency.
We cannot blame the justice system as their hands are tied and they can only do so much.
We need to take responsibility about how we bring up our children and discipline them.
In recent years, with social media and mobile phones, parents are glued to their phones constantly and young kids are given mobile phones to keep them occupied.
Years ago, we had the boot camp in WA where the young juveniles were sent and were coached and disciplined by ex-Army officers that could be introduced and was very successful.
Jenny Pereira, Willetton
Our leaders need to get their priorities right
Alright, let’s talk straight – we’re all feeling it.
The cost of living in Australia isn’t creeping up; it’s sprinting, and it is crippling families and businesses.
Meanwhile, our government is like a kid who has left their homework until the last minute.
Now, in a sudden ‘epiphany’, they’re hauling politicians back to Canberra early.
But let’s face it, this reeks of desperation, not genuine concern.
We’re not daft; we know a band-aid solution when we see one.
And that $450 million referendum? Talk about misplaced priorities.
Imagine if that money went towards easing the financial burdens of ordinary Australians?
Instead, it feels like they’re playing political games while we’re counting pennies to pay bills.
The situation with asylum seekers and Palestinians is another head-scratcher.
Yes, humanitarian aid is vital, but it’s hard to swallow when our own backyard is in disarray.
We’ve got reoffenders on the streets and our government is more concerned about international brownie points than looking after its own.
You know how I feel about Australia Day.
It’s like they’re letting our national day slip into oblivion. It’s a day that means a lot to many of us, and the government’s indifference is just another sign of how out of touch they are.
And while we’re all here trying to make ends meet, big overseas corporations and banks are pocketing record profits. How is that fair?
The rich get richer, and we’re left wondering how to stretch our last dollar.
So, no, we’re not just whinging. We’re fed up.
Fed up with being last on the government’s to-do list. Fed up with being an election afterthought.
It’s high time our leaders got their act together and started prioritising real Aussies – the ones struggling, not the hypothetical ones they parade in speeches.
We’re not asking for the moon – just some real, tangible action that makes a difference to our lives. We’ve had enough of being ignored.
It’s time for a change, and it can’t come soon enough.
Glenn Dewhurst is a City of Gosnells councillor and local leader.
