Magic Megan
CONGRATULATIONS to Megan Jaceglav for her beautifully written Thinking Allowed article in last week’s Herald (“Progress and hope,” February 25, 2017).
Her depth of understanding of the ecosystem and sense of loss at its destruction by clearing, is palpable and should be mandatory reading for all.
Megan’s insight highlights the gulf that exists between those that are battling to save our remaining bushland and those that just see it as something to be destroyed in the face of “progress “.
It seems to me that there is a commonly held belief that the ongoing clearing is not that important given the amount that is still left.
To put this into perspective, I list two facts:
(1) As of the year 2000, 90 per cent of the South West Biodiversity Hotspot (an area bounded west of a line drawn from Shark Bay to Esperance) had been cleared of original native vegetation.
( 2) As of 2009, WA had native vegetation covering just 7 per cent of its total land surface.
David Jefferies
Rogerson Rd, Mt Pleasant

Between a rock and a hard place
PAUL GABBEDY says the rocks on Port Beach are from the demolition of the old silos in 2000 (“Rubble Barney,” Herald, February 25, 2017).
He may be right that some of that stuff ‘escaped’, but my belief is that the rocks are largely naturally occurring.
As I see it, the problem is not the rocks suddenly turning up, rather the lack of sand in the water.
For some years now the dunes from Port to North Leighton have been growing due to human interference.
We have locked up thousands of tonnes of sand that would normally be in the water.
Due to this we now have the sand depleted right down to the rocks.
I don’t think dragging rocks out will be of much help, we need more sand.
If Port Beach was in Sydney or the Gold Coast, they would be trucking sand in.
I am not advocating a sand injection, rather, I am pointing out the cause of the problem.
As to a solution…I’ll leave that to the powers that be.
Meanwhile it’s a great place to start the day…Port Beach Rocks!
Paul New
Hubble St, East Fremantle

Terminal decline
CRUISE ships are visiting Fremantle more frequently; every time a cruise ship is in port thousands or dollars is injected into our local economy.
It would be great if the Fremantle passenger terminal could provide a few essentials to make visitors and local cruise ship passengers more welcome.
The passenger terminal needs an upgrade in line with our modern airport.
There were trolleys to wheel out your luggage; they are no longer at the terminal.
A large proportion of cruise passengers are elderly and have difficulty with their luggage.
Please bring back the trolleys even if there is a small cost to the user, as public transport is more than walking distance from the terminal and has the high footbridge over the railway line to negotiate.
A bus service should operate from the passenger terminal to the railway station and suburban bus terminus when cruise ships are in port.
There are a lot of flag poles but not one flag can be seen.
It is my opinion the Fremantle Passenger Terminal wants a good makeover.
The Port of Albany welcomes visiting cruise ships with a piper playing the bagpipes and a free bus service whilst the ship is in port.
Congratulations’ Albany townspeople for making cruise ships welcome.
Frank Granger (frequent cruiser)
Melville Bch Rd, Applecross

Thanks, Fiona!
I WOULD like to thank all the staff at Fiona Stanley’s emergency department, cardio recovery and D ward for their wonderful, kind and very attentive care, during my short stay recently.
My thanks also to all the staff who fed me and looked after my needs and room in other ways.
Everyone was always so cheerful.
In gratitude,
Anne Aitken (Lived to dance again!)
Leaside Way, Spearwood

Breathe in…
GASPING turtles — does anyone care?
Last night on SBS news, an item showed a lucky turtle which has been nurtured back to health after feasting on plastic in our oceans.
Can anyone tell me of a supermarket that doesn’t trust a plastic bag to any customer, no matter how tiny the purchase?
What happened to Fremantle’s aim to be plastic free in 2004?
Heather Powell
View Terrace, East Fremantle

Trainspotting
I THOUGHT it a bit rich hearing our public transport enthusiast PM telling perth residents that WA Labor’s metro net policy is ‘reckless’ and that it would be a long time before such a project could be realised.
Particularly since premier Barnett’s much touted congestion-busting Roe 8 is principally concerned with freight transport and not people.
It will, in effect, be many years before Roe 8, 9 and 10 are completed.
By which time a new port could have been constructed and the necessary investment on rail and public transport could have proceeded at pace.
I’ve heard Mr Turnbull wax lyrical about innovation and exciting times.
But whatever claim he makes for himself, ‘leadership’ when faced with the challenge of sensible long term public (and freight) infrastructure planning is not one of them.
PS – thank you for your fair and balanced coverage of this issue.
Mark Smith
South Street, Hilton

Crackerjack
WHAT does it take to bring awareness of the importance of the Melville Bowling Club site, or putting it more succinctly; one of the crown jewel locations of the Swan River foreshore.
Once the ownership of this most prime of Perth river foreshore gets into private hands—who knows how it’s usage would end up.
Wave park one day; ugly 25-storey building the next?
This site should belong to the people, or, Melville ratepayers—ad infinitum.
There has been meetings, petitions and anti-wave park groups, but the council fails to get the message.
Let us hope that the Melville council eventually awakens to the writing on the wall, and abides by the people’s wishes, as they wouldn’t like to see the situation where the townfolk are turned into an angry, pitchfork-armed horde that march down to the castle gates demanding that the Frankenstein idea of a wave park be put to the bonfire.
John S. Kostanic
Matheson Rd, Applecross

Fine margins
WITH over $9 billion required to build the Roe 9 tunnel, this project looks increasingly like an attempt to shore up marginal seats than anything else.
In the event of the current state government being re-elected, I think we can confidently expect the project to be ‘unfortunately delayed’ until the state’s financial position ‘improves’.
The project has also been misnamed.
It should actually be renamed the West Coast Freeway as it is estimated that 90 percent of vehicles using the tunnel will be private cars.
Safety regulations mean one in four trucks will not be permitted to use the tunnel.
Peter Bartlett
Hope Street, White Gum Valley