Lucrative trap
WHEN I was “bitten”, I had taken my disabled son to Tafe and had placed his ACROD sticker on the dashboard.
Along with the other cars parked in Norfolk Lane, we were apparently parked facing the incorrect way. I then went straight to the council and put in a complaint saying the parking inspector was mean-spirited (it was Christmas).
My parking infringement was then assessed by the appeal committee and it was waived. No doubt Norfolk Lane is a great revenue raiser for the council: Most think it is a one-way street.
I suggested to council that a notice be placed on the brick wall, however, this has not been done. I feel visitors to Fremantle should be made aware of this trap.
Leeanne McKie
Bridges Road, Melville

DAC dismay
I AM dismayed at Lindsay Lutton’s resignation from Fremantle’s design advisory committee but not surprised by the reasons, as explained in your report (Herald, February 1, 2014).
Once again, the Fremantle council seems unable to recognise, or learn from, the mistakes of its predecessors. Indeed, it seems determined to repeat them.
I believe Mr Lutton should be thanked for his service to the community and for taking a professional and principled  stand. Sadly though, on past form, the message will be massaged and the messenger will be shot at.
And what of the other members of that committee? Will they also now resign, or will they stay and demand better behaviour from the council and its staff?
R McK Campbell
Fremantle

Port Coogee a lost jewel
I COULD not disagree more with Dave Ward’s comments about Port Coogee (Herald letters, February 1, 2014).
I was a protester then and now am even more convinced that elements of Port Coogee are a disgrace.
My view then was that Coogee had the potential to rival beaches anywhere and, properly designed, it could be the most sought after coast in WA.
Anyone who swam in the ocean there (and we always swam at the old abattoir site), will know the ocean is beautiful. Obviously the coast line was ex-industrial and needed work but it should be recalled that once allowed access the bulldozers went in and cleaned everything in a month.
This should have been a coastline of bike and walk paths with access to the ocean for all the residents who live there. Instead we have this disaster of a canal project where no-one wants to live and those few who have braved the area get blasted off their balconies with wind and salt.
We always said it was scandalous to allow our ocean to be given over to a few for housing and this development shows just how flawed that decision was and the people who have lost most are those who invested in the area.
Imagine what Cottesloe would be like if people could not simply walk from their homes straight to the ocean for a swim.
Coogee should have been better than Cottesloe but it’s not and the developers and the council must share the blame. This was all destroyed because of greed and the council and government were either too weak, too slow or too corrupt to prevent it.
Obviously the ocean is for mixed use and a marina in that area fits with that need along with the associated support facilities and cafes, etc, but residents of Port Coogee now realise what they have lost in giving up their beaches for housing.
The popularity of the tiny Port Coogee Beach shows the need for a safe swimming area for families but the recent scare shows this is not an area to be trusted and we are still not certain that the water will be safe for swimming should the houses and boats reach their potential in that water-locked space with the possibility of pollution from land and boat. So please do not tell me it’s a success. To me it’s a disgrace and I weep for the jewel it could have been.
Tony Harris
Doolette St, Spearwood

DAC hits back
THE design advisory committee of the City of Fremantle makes the following joint statement, agreed by all members, in response to recent articles in the Herald:
The DAC’s role is to encourage the best possible design outcomes from building projects proposed for Fremantle. Our perception is that the DAC’s advice has been received, debated, and in the very significant majority of instances, been accepted by the council.
The DAC contributes to a democratic process and its advice forms part of a set of considerations dealt with by elected members. We have no evidence that recommendations have been “doctored” nor that advice has been “intercepted…and massaged”.
In my view, relations between the city and the DAC have been supportive, professional and based on mutual respect. I believe that the DAC is working effectively to bring about significant improvements in the design of projects submitted for approval.
Geoffrey London
Chair

Looking for Edwin
FOR a long time I have wanted to learn about my grandfather’s brother who moved to Australia.
I have just learned that Dr Edwin Charles East Ted moved to Fremantle. He died in 1961. I would love to hear from any relatives of his or anyone living there who might remember him. In Canada, my grandfather had three sons and a daughter and six grandchildren.
Sally Ann Kellar East
1203 70 Ruddington Dr, Toronto
Canada M2K2X8
skellar@rogers.com

Firies are flamin’ great
AGAIN our firefighters both full-time and volunteer have done a magnificent job in the recent Banjup/Atwell fires.
Also serving a useful role were both the Cockburn mayor and Member for Jandakot, in differing ways showing their commitment to residents of the soon-to-be dismembered and subjugated 13 suburbs. Notably absent, as far as I could tell, was the KIC’s gauleiter of the south: No doubt harbouring no misapprehensions about the reception  she would have received from those she intends to pillage but at the same time fretting over any possible property and infrastructure damage which would in any way diminish or reduce the booty and plunder with which she expects to fill her little town’s coffers and help pay off Kwinana’s debts.
I wonder how the soon-to-be-dismembered City of Cockburn’s 13 suburbs would have fared if the community resources called upon to fight the fire and protect life and property had already been at the mercy of the predacious City of Kwinana? I for one feel that Banjup’s Black Tuesday would somehow have been even blacker. My thanks and gratitude to all who toiled to protect us and urge the premier to rethink his ill-judged decision.
Kevin Bovill
Noble Way, Success

Never forget the deals
THANK you Herald for reminding Dave Ward (Herald letters, February 1, 2014) about the dealings between Australand and ex-mayor Stephen Lee.
I was a member of CCAC and we were never against development at Coogee, the only thing we were against was building in the ocean and the 100m setback.
Andrew Sullivan drew up a much more suitable plan, but sadly it never came to be.
Beverley Hamilton
Moran St, Beaconsfield

It’s a fishy business
THE shark protest has me asking certain questions:
• Fish, crays, crabs etc are killed for our eating. Why? It’s their domain.
• Sharks attack swimmers, yes? It’s their domain. We kill sharks for fish—why? Haven’t heard complaints.
• Whales are being slaughtered—it’s their domain and they are not hurting us. I haven’t heard a lot of protest or rallies, only those who go and risk their lives.
• Little rabbits and kangaroos are killed for our bellies—why? It’s the bush and their domain. If it suits us, it’s ok. What do you think?
H Jones
Weld Rd, Palmyra
The Ed says: Issue of sustainability: Sharks are endangered and as an apex predator their numbers have a profound impact on the food chain. If they’re not around, it’s all thrown badly out of whack. Bunnies and roos can, however, be slaughtered with gay abandon.

Port Coogee too polluted for home vegies
COULD Dave Ward (Herald letters, February 1, 2014) explain to me, if the Port Coogee area is unpolluted, why have people I know who live in the area been told they are not permitted to plant a vegie garden as the area still contains contaminants?
Why have friends who live in the hills, and who used to come to Coogee for a swim, now swim at South Beach as rips that were not there before, now exist?
And as for traffic congestion, Transperth really needs to get people on the buses, as the peak-hour flow into Freo from Cockburn is really a two to three-hour peak, the majority in one-person vehicles.
Ric Aldrovandi
Farrier Lane,
White Gum Valley

Rotto’s increasingly for the rich
ROTTNEST ISLAND should be for the benefit of everyone and yet now seems to be driven by maximising financial return for the authority at the expense of everyone.
We are boat owners and have enjoyed visiting the island for many years. We like variety so prefer to anchor in one of the relatively few areas where anchoring is viable, and yet we notice over the years that these areas are slowly being taken over by moorings.
We were particularly incensed recently on a visit to the anchorage in Stark Bay to find several moorings for larger boats now installed well in to the relatively small sand area.
Moorings take precedence so any boat occupying one of these greatly reduces the area available for anchoring.
It is the officially stated policy that sand areas will be preserved for anchoring, but obviously the little people without a voice are being trod upon again by those with power and influence for the sake of greed.
David George
Preston Point Rd,
East Fremantle

Do we live up to the anthem?
RECENTLY we celebrated Australia Day, singing with pride our national anthem—Advance Australia Fair. But do we all try to progress our country to become a fairer place for all?
Let’s look at the new Abbott government, full of nasty surprises. Apart from broken promises on education funding, there have been massive increases in the government deficit with tax breaks for the wealthy.
It has dropped the superannuation supplement for low-income workers, and the school kids’ payment that covered extra education costs, while cancelling taxes of $4 billion on profitable mining companies, and allowing a $1.8 billion tax perk for those with company cars.
Oxfam has calculated that a mere 85 very wealthy people own more in assets than 3.5 billion people at the lower end of the wealth scale. This is a shocking indictment of our unfair economic system, and governments all around the world should be addressing this inequity. This includes Australia, the land of the “fair go”.
Gordon Payne
Jenkin St, South Fremantle