Your Say

I am blessed in a world of four billion souls that I can drive the car for a short time and park where the wind blown swell and the compacted sand create waves that are all different in shape and size with just me as the observer.

From there I take my trusty hiking boots that are virtually virgins due to my lifestyle and head west along a track that has been well trod, but remains as new.

I ascend to the ridge, all the time the sound of crashing waves makes me smile, memories of a life many moons ago in northern NSW when the body was strong and the soul was free.

I had 13 miles of coast and its glorious warm waves to myself, well I shared them with giant rays, sea turtles and dolphins.

As I come to the traverse, I have a stiff breeze in my face, flowing up the rocky face. It is cold, but feels great on my warming body.

I return to the track and disappear into the thick melaleuca scrub, the wind has gone and the smell of the heat on the track fills my senses with joy.

I continue on my journey of discovery, the vegetation changing constantly.

It blows me away how on a coastal traverse there is so much variety in the scenery.

As I laugh at a fresh wombat turd, a tiny wallaby slips away down a well trod escape route well in advance of my approach.

Yes, I am a visitor to this place and curse at the erosion that the track I follow has caused.

I keep walking and drop into a micro-climate that amazes me.

Dogwoods are rampant in a mini rainforest, but only for a few metres as I emerge onto a wind blown heath with Ericas, acacias and I guess Banksia Ericafolias.

I am in and out of the wind as the vegetation and landscape expose and shield me.

The soil changes from white sand to black sandy loam to “baby poo” yellow clay loam.

I see someone has let a plastic bag fly and stoop in disgust to pick it up only to find it is a spider’s web, some strange thing that I have never seen before.

I notice a few others as I continue my voyage of discovery.

All the while the ocean lets me know it is still around.

There is no one else on this track except me and a couple of parrots on the wing with bright blue markings, who skim overhead at great pace laughing at my ignorance to their presence.

I am sure there are more creatures in this world, but they are too quiet for my meagre senses.

After many changing vistas, weary, I turn and head for my car.

I will be back; the return journey has my head full of strategies for the ultimate walk.

While my head dreams and my feet fall into step, I am blown away by the sight of a sea eagle that lifts on the wind, banks hard and rides the wind to a place where I can’t see from behind the tree line.

I am left with a memory of nature’s master at home in harsh world, living on the edge with the waves below and the sky blue after the wild rain.

I briefly chat to a couple of young lads in the car park who are weighing up the ocean for a surf.

Younger days I would have just “hit it’.

I wish them well and go back to my car.

Back to reality and the week that lies ahead.

Find a place for a few hours; it will give you “life” for another week.

And,

FROM the Examiner (Saturday 06/08/05) comes the news that “environmental complications” have added $13 million to the cost of the Meander Dam.

Question one, “On a $35 million project $13 million is a large figure to leave out, so what shortcuts have been reeled in from the original project and what other ‘environmental complications’ have been hidden?”

From the article, it appears that the contractor has backed itself into a corner and is pressuring farmers into the same corner.

The contractor wants a deposit from farmers by the 26th of August, but an application placed with the ATO a week ago has not yet returned a decision on a ruling that will or will not make the project viable for the farmers.

Question two, “Why, when this project has been bandied around for so many years are farmers given no time to check the long term viability of this project, and why is this project being ‘rushed through’?”

From the article, the contractor is after a discount from the State Government for stamp duty, which means we will be asked to pay for this shemozzle.

Question three is, “Will all the people of Tasmania be able to receive a 90% reduction on Stamp Duty as the contractor is after?”

From the article, a farmer asked about Gunns and how much water it was after.

No reply to that question raises a fourth question, “Is Gunns, along with Forestry, now exempt from the Freedom of Information Act?”

Finally, the contractor says that if “investors thought the dam was being mismanaged, the State Government could step in at any time”.

This raises my fifth question, “why do we need and why are we paying this contractor when they can handball the project back to the people when things go wrong?”

The overall picture painted is one of a project that is being rushed through to feed the proposed pulp mill, while ignoring the environment, of which we are part of, while trying to extract as much money from the public as possible one way or the other and leaving a safety net for the contractor if things don’t work out.

There appears to be a new species being created to take the place of the Tasmanian Devil and the Tasmanian Tiger.

I hereby name this new species, “The Tasmanian White Elephant”.

I’m sure it will be around until the next election, when I believe it will meet its demise.

And, What is TRAC?

At the recent Federal election unions stood by the Liberals who were also supported by the State Labor Government and joined in a standing ovation for John Howard.

Now the unions are crying foul as industrial relations crumble, our medical system is in tatters, Telstra’s sale is now imminent, our farmers are bleeding and the jobs they so vehemently promoted are disappearing before their eyes.

Now they have the hide to jump up and align TRAC with “The Greens”.

Is this part of a scheme to try to oust “The Greens” at the upcoming state election?

TRAC is not aligned to any political party and that is its strength.

TRAC is strong in conviction and in numbers.

TRAC takes information from many resources locally and around the world.

TRAC has not been offered or accepted donations from any political party.

TRAC is truly the voice of the people.

TRAC is open and transparently posting information for all to see and make informed decisions.

Cheers,
Dave Groves
Kayena

“We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect. ” – Aldo Leopold