Yes campaign taking the piss
AS an 83-year-old elderly woman I would like to voice my opinion on the equality of same-sex marriages.
On using public toilets in Fremantle, and finding an advertisement behind the doors urging a yes vote, I found this a deplorable action and objectionable to myself and other no voters.
However, one expects this filth to be peddled where the yes vote starts and should remain there.
Barbara Dawson
Riseley Street, Booragoon

Freo is LOLland
THE “Hello Freo Meet FOMO” wraparound of the Fremantle Herald was quite an advertisement.
I’m a Freo resident who has been out of the country for some years and am not familiar with the local politics; so to be introduced to FOMO was well, revelationary.
Boy, that Sirona team really “threw out the handbook” with their mind-blowing descriptions of eating, drinking and shopping.
Then I read in the letters page (Jenny Hetherington) that FOMO was one of those post-mod, anacronymic neologisms employed by youth and standing for Fear Of Missing Out, and I’m asking myself, “have I returned to LOLOLland?”
From FOMO I looked up One Planet.
Like Sirona Capital, One Planet can really sell the delightful idea that you can enjoy a sustainable lifestyle in an exclusivist community that also has a globalist network.
There is a SOMO one-planet development in the USA (cute rhyme, but I thought Freo was unique?)
And there are training courses and OPEN, as in One Planet Education Network.
Exclusivist self-sustaining community development with a global incorporation may make people feel positively happy.
But as Victor Hugo once opined, “happiness opposes truth”, and the truth is that climate change is on the cusp of exponentiality, and that 20 per cent of the world’s population uses most of the world’s resources and wages global wars to preserve that status quo.
It’s not enhancement that lifestyles need but change, and as citizens, rather than consumers, it would be a good thing to reassess the orthodoxies of growth in liberal economies.
Back to the advertisement: the weaving together of politicians, developers, finance ($45 million from Goldman Sachs) and an international non-government organisation with a utopian educational agenda has left this resident with feelings of dismay.
That sense of community that once came so authentically to a Fremantle resident is now a hard sell, commodified and exploited for commerce.
But I do look forward to a new library.
May it be as citizen-friendly as its counterpart in the city of Geraldton.
Beverley Culhane, Beaconsfield

Claims don’t stack up
IN reference to recent articles that have appeared in the Herald regarding the wave park, I wanted to challenge some of the assertions made, particularly by the Alfred Cove Action Group convener, Mr Maynier.
Contrary to what Mr Maynier has stated on several occasions now, Alfred Cove is categorically not a RAMSAR wetland.
It is true there has been a significant decline in wading bird populations in Alfred Cove over time, but this has been due to changes in the mud flats in Alfred Cove which comprise the wading bird’s habitat.
The changes to the mud flats are a naturally occurring event given the river is constantly changing.
These populations of birds can now be found foraging around the corner at Attadale Reserve and Point Walter where new mud flats have emerged over time.
The closest of these mud flats are approximately 400 metres away from the proposed surf park location. Mr Maynier should know this given his house sits three metres off the Alfred Cove reserve and he is one of our project’s nearest neighbours.
Dr Mike Bamford, former president of Birdlife WA and arguably Australia’s pre-eminent expert in international wading birds, was quoted at a recent public SERAG event as saying that any possible “disturbance by the surf park to the water birds is very low”. Regarding noise, Dr Bamford was quoted as saying : “Migratory birds appear to be very tolerant of light and noise – one of the favorite roosting spots for Red Necked Stints [is] Milyu, 30m from the Freeway, near the South Perth overpass. Noise and light for the sort of distances we are talking about, shouldn’t be a problem for the birds.”
Dr Peter Newman was also recently quoted in an article, a gentleman we have attempted to speak with on multiple occasions, but who has to date not returned our messages and calls. But now feels he is informed enough to speak with authority about our development and its possible impacts.
What the community should focus on is the fact that this project will not progress if it is deemed by state-based agencies to have any significant environmental impacts. Our advice is that it does not, and we would not be pursuing the project if it did.
ACAG and Mr Maynier know this, but they continue to play the environment card to try and undermine our planning process, and thus prevent this project from progressing, which would be to the loss of the vast majority of Melville and Perth residents who support the project.
Mr Maynier wants you to vote for his candidates in the current Melville city council election – this is only so that he can put “yes-men” in place to attempt to rescind our lease (which would open the City of Melville up to a multi-million dollar law suit).
Don’t be fooled by his claims, support progressive councillors who want to do right by the community as a whole, and not just promote the vested, self-centred interests of the riverfront elite.”
Andrew Ross
Executive chairman
Wave Park Group
Fremantle

Make a difference
THE upcoming council elections will finally give the ratepayers of Melville a chance to have their say.
One that cannot be ignored.
I urge everyone to use their postal vote in the next election to rethink the makeup of the council and to ensure that the community is truly represented.
Over the last couple of years we have seen our community divided on too many issues, poor community consultation, ratepayers’ money wasted, questionable closed-door decisions and precious open space put under threat by developers. It is time to change the destructive and insular culture that sits within the council chamber.
There are many good community people standing for election who will represent us, let’s support them.
Rod Short
Tamar Street, Palmyra

It’ll be awesome
THERE has been a lot of debate about the wave park, but I think some people may have forgotten how amazing this thing will be.
New video footage of the “Cove” surf park technology that will be implemented at Tompkins Park has just been released. The only difference with the technology for the Tompkins Park development and the one on the clip, is that the Perth facility will have a wave that breaks for more than double the distance.
The clips showcase international surfing teams training at the “Cove” for the first time. Do yourself a favour and have a look at the clips by searching on the Vimeo website https://vimeo.com/ for “urbnsurf”.
There is so much fun and excitement being displayed by all these surfers – imagine having that in our community!
As a novice surfer, I can’t wait for the chance to learn at such an amazing facility.
Nicola Burne
Rosemary link, North Coogee