Well, much as I agree that we shouldn't let governments slide out of their
responsibilities (re Brian Everingham's comments) in regards to natural
heritage, surely it's got to a point where we cannot trust them to not do
so. I too gave money for Gluepot, and I'll give for Newhaven too, as I'm
certain will many many others.
In SA over the last ten years or so we have seen a steady depletion of park
staff to a point where many parks have no resident ranger and are
"supposed" to be looked after by staff from, in some cases, hundreds of kms
away. This is the case at Brookfield, Pooginook, and Murundie which are
supposed to be "managed" by staff (we think) at Berri or Renmark( you may
correct me on their base location Peter). Much of the southern Fleurieu
Peninsula is "looked after" by a couple of staff at Deep Creek. Of course
when visiting these parks one never sees a ranger, or even evidence of them
having been there - little maintenance of fences or tracks etc.
And this inability to manage through lack of staff leads to open slather by
hoons and vandals because they too recognise there is no-one to police the
areas. So we see areas ripped up by motorbikes and fences knocked down to
gain access.
It can also lead to releasing areas back to miners (ie Yumbarra CP near
Ceduna), because in the absence of local staff telling them otherwise the
govt very conveniently sees the area being little used or of little use for
anything else. So properties fall in danger of becoming part of Oz govts'
mad spree selling off assets and utilities in the pretext of making budgets
balance. ( Tricky how Howard sells Telstra back to the people who already
owned it. As a state utility it was a community asset anyway, paid for by
our taxes, did YOU get conned and pay TWICE?)
Yes, I'll be contributing to the purchase of Newhaven just as I am a
constant contributor to The Australian Bush Heritage Fund. I'm convinced
that private ownership, properly managed, is the only way to retain what
little natural heritage there is left. I'd draw your attention to what
Wamsley is achieving through Earth Sanctuaries at Yookamurra, Warrawong,
Buckaringa, Scotia, etc. And don't you think that what BA has already
achieved at Gluepot is a wonderful example of what we should be doing in
the absence of any conscience or commitment from govts? Yes, yes, it lets
them off the hook, but I'm not prepared to wait through the next millenium
- it's a pipedream to think that govts will ever improve. We'd need a
parliament of Bob Browns to get any change. We have to get out there and do
it in spite of them; in other areas of life when others fail to do the job
properly, you hop in and do it yourself - this is no different. Get in
there, do it!
The rapid raising of private money for the purchase of Gluepot was a clear
indicator that people are prepared to support such projects - and I'm sure
it will happen for Newhaven too.
Tony.
Tony Russell,
Adelaide, South Australia
phone : 08 8337 5959 , o/s 61 8 8337 5959
e-mail:
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