All I want for Christmas
WITH Christmas almost upon us, thoughts often turn to spiritual matters.
The Roe 8 highway extension and its potentially devastating environmental impacts on the Beeliar wetlands and surrounding bushland  is certainly a pressing spiritual matter.
Nature in its undisturbed state is a place we can all go to rejuvenate, reflect and experience true freedom. When we have already lost so much of the natural world, places like the precious Beeliar wetlands are that much more special.
My Christmas wish is a world where nature abounds, other sentient beings are protected and allowed to thrive, not a world where steel, concrete and barren urban wastelands dominate the scenery.
Wendy Dugmore
George Road, Roleystone

Aren’t we guardians?
MY name is Hannah Fuller and I am a resident in Beeliar. I am writing to you to let you know that I disagree with the plans for Roe 8 and especially the recent clearing of bushland and wildlife rehoming.
I am a primary school teacher and I teach my children that this earth we live on is not just for humans but it is our responsibility as humans to make it a world that is for all species to live in. It should not be our decision to take away and ruin beautiful, natural areas that have an abundance of wildlife habitats for the easy access of traffic. Surely there are better planned options that could avoid ploughing through wetlands?
Economic benefit should never outweigh protecting our wonderful planet and wildlife. The wetlands have existed longer than humans have lived so why do people in government think they can have the right to take them away from their right owners; the animals who live there.
I think it is disgraceful, that we could build a road like this through such an amazing place. I often go running around the wetlands to exercise and I am always astounded by their beauty and the emotions I feel. I often feel a strong connection with the environment and it takes my breath away!
I know if it was planned to be built near my home I would have to leave, any constant noises from roads or air traffic affect my happiness and stress levels!
Congestion and freight movement should be solved with a more progressive, 21st century solution not a new, bigger road to hold yet more vehicles.
Western Australian lack of progress and lack of ability to move with the times is at best embarrassing, why do we not strive for something better, strive to be world leaders and think of life-changing solutions that the world will notice and want to use.
Instead we stick with a 50-year-old plan!
I believe the outcome will be wasted money, unhappy residents and ruined wildlife habitats that can never be replaced.
Hannah Fuller
Thornbill Loop, Beeliar

Leaf it out
GOOD sign of the times.
If you get upset because of someone removing a tree from their property to protect their house or their neighbour’s… then how good is your life? (“Another towering gum goes,” Herald, December 3, 2016)
Clearly not a significant care in the world.
Chalk it up to another first world problem.
Mike
Fremantle

Getting lost
THREE articles in the Herald of December 10 are of great concern; “Roe ramps up” and “Promises are promises” re Roe 8 and “Bowlers waived aside” re the wave park.
The best book I’ve read this year, The Invention of Nature – The Adventures of Alexander von Humboldt, The Lost Hero of Science by Andrea Wulf reminds us of the importance of protecting our environment.
At the moment it seems the three tiers of government seem more focused on the ker-ching of the developers’ dollars than to “encourage complementary management of government lands and waters that are adjacent to the reserve system” as per the stated objective in the Swan Estuary Marine Parks and Adjacent Reserves Management Plan.
Both Roe 8 and the wave park are situated adjacent to very precious environments at Bibra Lake and Alfred Cove.
We cannot afford to damage our places of quiet recreation, habitats for increasingly endangered plants, birds and animals and feeding places for shorebirds. These migratory birds do a round trip of thousands of kilometres to the Arctic Circle each year.
John Forrest is quoted on a sign in Kings Park saying that we should “enable the children 1000 years hence to see our country as it was when Stirling first landed”.
I ask that governments at all levels take note and protect Bibra Lake and Alfred Cove.  The “road to nowhere” needs to be reconsidered after the pending court decision and the wave park could be situated on a different site.
Jennie Hunt
Swan Road, Attadale

Long thanks
ON behalf of St Patrick’s Community Support Centre I want to say thank you to the Fremantle community who came together to make the inaugural Christmas Long Table Dinner a terrific event.
It was a wonderful example of the unique community spirit that sets Fremantle apart.
Thank you Karl and Janine Bullers from the National Hotel, for your vision and passion to make this happen and Fremantle BID and all supporting shops.
A special thank you to the City of Fremantle for their invaluable support.   Thanks also to all those who came and particularly to those generous local businesses that donated items for our raffle and auctions.
Over $20,000 was raised for St. Patrick’s Community Support Centre to further our work engaging with disadvantaged and vulnerable people.
See you there next year!
Steve McDermott, CEO
St. Patrick’s Community
Support Centre

Bad decision, fore shore
I WAS appalled to read a comment made by a so-called local supporting the proposed Wave Park at the Alfred Cove foreshore (“Bowlers waved aside,” Herald, December 10, 2016).
I have lived in Alfred Cove for over 20 years now and have always dreamed of living this close to our beautiful, natural foreshore — that’s why most people live here.
To have this lifestyle destroyed by a concrete jungle with artificial waves is nothing short of madness at best.
To hear that Melville council wants to even listen to the proposal is just another example of idiocy in the first degree, not unlike wanting to build a three-storey apartment block in Kitchener Road, Myaree. That nearly got through.
Doesn’t the council realise that Alfred Cove is an A-class reserve and deserves to be treated as such.
So let’s leave the waves in their natural environment and leave the wonderful birdlife in Alfred Cove in peace.
And to our so called local in Coverley Street, if you’re such a keen surfer the beach is only a 15 minute drive away. Enough said.
Cornelis Kunnen
Latham Street, Alfred Cove