We’re envied
THANK you City of Fremantle. What a lovely surprise it was tonight as I walked through Kings Square with my husband on our way to eat in Fremantle.
There were people everywhere, the usual groups of people playing table tennis but also young bands playing some great music, food stalls, and art exhibition and a general air of fun, enthusiasm and optimism.
It was good to see. I discovered it was yet again another project from the fantastic team in the community development section at the council helping to celebrate youth week.
I have been fortunate enough to take part in some of community development’s organised “Active Ageing” free courses and activities over the years and it is lovely to see the youth of the city taking part in free activities too.
I have recently had visitors staying with me from Sydney and the Gold Coast and they are all very envious of our lifestyle here in Freo and just can’t believe all the free activities, courses, concerts etc that is available to us in Freo. They are amazed when I tell them there are still some people in Fremantle who like to complain about our council!
Keep up the good work City of Freo, mayor, councillors and staff—there are a lot of us who do appreciate all you do in helping to make this such a great place to live, work and play. Thank you.
Pat Winnacott
High St, Fremantle

Don’t dump!
AS I read “Freeloader shame” (Herald letters, April 13, 2013) I agree with Leigh Gordon: Shame, shame, shame to whomever stole the items donated to the Red Cross in Willagee.
But, truly, please, please, please, so many times I have read about, seen, been told, don’t leave donations out of hours for people to steal. Dedicated volunteers then have to sort out and clean up the left-over mess. Your intentions are so good, but just read the signs, and donate in opening hours or call, and I’m sure they will pick up from your house.
Jenny
Northmore Cres, Winthrop

Treaty irrelevant
ANDREA CALLAGHAN (Herald letters, April 13, 2013) may ask “what queue?”. There are actually people ahead of these boat arrivals who have been waiting long periods of time to be assessed in camps.
How do you know these arrivals are fleeing persecution when their identities are yet to be confirmed?
As a  Sri Lankan minister recently said, his country has been “safe for some four years now and doesn’t know what these people are fleeing from”.
Our border security is a farce as shown by this week’s arrival in Geraldton. To be able to pass important infrastructure without question or detection is beyond belief. Does a major catastrophe the likes of what happened in the US have to occur here before we wake up and get serious?
I don’t care what agreement we are signed up to, it is irrelevant today and needs to be rewritten and brought up to date to reflect today’s circumstances.  A government’s priority is to its citizens first, any handouts should go to its own desperate people and not blow-ins who arrive without identification, even though they can find money to be shipped here.  We are a laughing stock and federal Labor is the one wearing the clown suit.
M Nardi
Joshua Close, Bibra Lake
The Ed says: We are a big island and short of training sharks with frickin’ laser beams to patrol non-stop, it’s laughable we could ever hope to “secure our borders”. We’d suggest a good way to stop refugees might be to stop wars.

Stop hating the skating
THE Esplanade skate plaza is a much-needed community asset. A skate plaza is in no way a vast concrete wasteland, as many narrow-minded folk will have you believe!
A plaza’s purpose is to replicate natural street-skating spots, incorporating obstacles like stair sets, banks, rails, ledges and gaps into a place where people, some who don’t even enjoy riding a skate board, are encouraged to visit. The whole community wins.
Plans for the plaza clearly show green space incorporated into the design, and as for the Esplanade’s “green lung” benefit, introduced lawn and pine trees that require large amounts of watering are an archaic thing of the past.
Redeveloping the Beach Street skate park is not a viable option either. Besides the fact the carpark has no large trees nor shade in sight, a lonely stretch of carpark bordering a train line is a great place to get assaulted. I can tell you this from personal experiences as a youth who grew up using the area.
Look to the future, the Esplanade skate plaza will regenerate a tired patch of Fremantle, creating a safe vibrant place for the community to come together and partake in healthy activities!
Alexei McKay
Curedale St, Beaconsfield

Cop that
WHAT a courageous and heavy-duty job is that of the policeman?
A bouquet please, to the Freo coppers. Last week, two good sorts dropped by a number of central shops and offices, to give a bit of free advice on securing belongings and premises. Thanks for the positive gesture.
Suzanne John, Suzie Surina
Port Realty, Elder Pl, Fremantel