Yet to decide
In response to Demolition Plan (Herald, May 2, 2014), I would like to clarify publicly that I did not have a pre-determined position on the application to demolish 3 Riverside Road when the Herald reporter spoke to me. I was, however, aware that some ratepayers would have strong opinions on the application.
Since publication of the article, many public submissions have been made.
I, along with the other Town of East Fremantle elected members, have now received a comprehensive report in relation to the demolition application, which includes the owner’s application (including a heritage assessment), copies of all public submissions,  the applicants’ response to those submissions, an independent heritage consultant’s assessment commissioned by the town, and a detailed analysis and recommendation from the town’s planning staff.
It is only after considering all this relevant information – and the recommendation from the Town Planning and Building Committee – that I will be in a position to make an informed decision when the matter is considered by council on Tuesday 17 June.
M McPhail
Angwin Street, East Fremantle

Bush bash
I READ with interest about the Save the Beeliar Wetlands group’s efforts to preserve the City of Cockburn’s natural environment.
Although I do not necessarily agree with their point of view re Roe Highway extension 8, I empathise with their frustrations and they should be aware their environmental dilemma will be magnified should the City of Melville consume both Bibra and North Lakes in local government amalgamations.
The City of Melville has a disastrous record of environmental management. Council efforts are largely propaganda based, as per the usual rhetoric aimed at the ratepayer. Their latest folly has been to approve the takeover of part of a Bush Forever site that is Blue Gum Lake Reserve for a sporting group’s fertiliser storage compound.
Jim Nicholson
Booragoon

Farmers rail
WA farmers have a serious problem getting their huge crop of 2013/14 to ports. The situation has now become urgent.
The problem is the 3-tier railway lines, and this problem must be laid at the feet of the WA government.
Our government leased the lines under the terms of a secret lease agreement for 50 years to the American company Brookfields, which has a portfolio of $184 billion in global assets.
No agreement of a secret nature should be passed without consultation with farmers and with those whom it is going to affect. All decisions to sell or lease property belonging to the public should be open and above board.
There is no need for secret agreements, none at all!
At this point Brookfields doesn’t want to use the line and has no intention to do so.
Cooperative Bulk Handling has been negotiating with Brookfields for some time to lease the lines, but it will not lease them back to CBH at a reasonable rate!
If there is no agreement by October 3 the lines will close and, I believe, will never open again.
The resolution to this problem is in the hands of the WA government.
It should resume control of these lines and lease them to CBH, which has the ability to operate on these lines, reducing trucks on roads.
This will enable CBH to move large tonnages of grain and produce to port in a cheaper and safer way.
With these lines being brought back into operation by CBH it will streamline the delivery of the huge WA grain crops of 2013/14 to ports not only this year, but I can see the possibility of even bigger crops being produced.
This will alleviate the danger from thousands of truckloads of grain being hauled on poor roads at great risk to the travelling public.
One train load is equal to 100 truck movements on our roads, which will join with the movement of cattle, sheep and produce from other areas around the state, running on roads many of which are not safe for road-train transportation, let alone small cars and public safety.
It is certainly obvious the Nationals—who are supposed to represent people from the bush—have fallen down terribly in this situation.
Premier Colin Barnett stated, after being elected, he was going to pay particular attention to problems within the agricultural industry.
The premier has not fulfilled this election promise!
Ron McLean
Edwards Rd, Newdegate          

Have a heart
WE were outraged and astonished at the callous treatment of Carmen who has been a loyal stall holder of the Fremantle Markets for the past 35 years (Herald, June 7, 2014).
Having known Carmen during our 32 years as residents of South Fremantle, we know she is considered as one of the icons of the markets. Her quality clothes, her always willing smile and “nothing is too much trouble” service to her customers is what makes her stall a pleasure to visit, have a chat and see her latest styles.
To cast Carmen out at this vulnerable time of her life without consideration for her loyalty to the owners nor concern for how she will survive is callous beyond words.
The markets has been her personal community—indeed, family—for 35 years and we urge Ms Atkinson to reconsider her decision to throw Carmen out.  It is not too late to have a heart!
Chris and Wayne G’Froerer
Nelson St, South Fremantle

Vision needed
THE proposed extension to Roe Highway is a massive cost for a road to end at the bottleneck at Stirling Bridge making congestion there even worse, or are we going to spend more millions on a new bridge?
It will further damage what little remains of our wetlands.
If politicians had some vision they would move the port container terminal to Welshpool: load all containers directly from ship to rail and take them to a terminal at Welshpool for processing and distribution. This would:
• save massive construction cost of the freeway;
• save ongoing costs and problems associated with a freeway, maintenance, pollution from trucks, noise etc; • save the impact on the wetlands;
• free up valuable land at Fremantle port;
• allow easy access for trucking via Tonkin and Roe Highways.
If they really had some vision rail would have been constructed on the alignment of the old proposed Stirling extension. This would:
• have considerably less impact on the environment and surrounding suburbs than the proposed highway;
• have less impact on surrounding suburbs than the existing railway;
• would not have as big an impact on surrounding suburbs as the old proposed Stirling extension;
• free up valuable land on the Fremantle foreshore.
KE Carter
Bellevue Tce, Fremantle

Do it properly
READING “Collier fronts Freo parents,” (Herald, June 7, 2014) about the meeting with WA education minister Peter Collier, premier Colin Barnett and some 200 locals left me wondering if I really had attended the same meeting.
No words about the misleading results and manipulative presentation of a survey to be the base for a $40–$70 million decision. You only need a bit of understanding in statistics to see neither the right questions had been asked nor the right persons (eg, those who send their children to private schools).
These and other critical points were addressed during the meeting. And at an early point (compared to the long, exhausting and pretty boring presentation of the poorly done survey), when many of the participants wanted to ask questions or give comments, the meeting had to be closed. Why?
If you’re looking for a new solution to found a quality-based education system that would have been the time to listen.
But it’s not too late, yet. Get some people who know how to do a proper survey, ask the right questions and the right parents and with the budget of $40m–$70m you’ll get satisfied parents and well-educated kids. Maybe difficult and inconvenient for some…but possible!
Sandra Euringer
Oldham Cres, Hilton

Come and play!
I AM writing about your article “The kids who forgot how to play,” (Herald, May 24, 2014).
My eldest is three and he loves free unstructured play. I would like to invite all parents who have children under five to join us for the Friday Hilton playgroup. Our playgroup encourages free play and exploration. We currently have a free-range approach where kids create their own activities.
We have an indoor area with dress ups, wooden construction materials, a variety of toys for all ages from babies to four-year-olds as well as toilets and a place for parents to make cups of tea.
Our outdoor area has play equipment, sand pits, trees to climb and mud puddles to jump in. For parents like me who are looking at Hilton primary school for our children it had the added advantage of my son being familiar with the school and meeting his future kindy class mates before starting “big school”. Everyone one is welcome so come down any time between 10–1pm and join in. If you want you can bring a plate to share.
Justine Kamprad
Chamberlain St, O’Connor

Schooled in play
GRIFFIN LONGLEY (Herald, May 24, 2014) and the Waldorf School (June 7) sprang to mind at the happy crowd at South Fremantle SHS market last Sunday. This was more play than work for the mix of generations.
No creatures can exist without play. The display by young bears and tigers are popular examples.
For stone-age people, play occupied a major part of their lives, merging with the development of music and dance into complex ritual and mythology.
When human language first became sophisticated around 3000 years ago, the identity of learning and play was fixed in vocabulary. In Latin and earlier Greek, the word “school” was derived from the word for leisure.
Play is very different from work. It is free of compulsion, claws are sheathed and teeth nip rather than bite. Play initiates learning about the world and others through relaxation of serious tension.
Although Johan Huizinga published his famous book “Homo Ludens” (Playing Man) in 1938, it is still evident we do not know enough about play, its precise biological role, its origin and most seriously, its place in the modern world. Play has no formal place in many social disciplines like law or industrial relations for example. Do we plan enough for play, provide enough time and resources for its necessary role in the universe?
A word to the stewards of South Fremantle SHS Sunday market: if it gets any bigger, split off a daughter to another venue, don’t let dollars be the decider.
Ted Zeffertt
Solomon St, Fremantle