Earlier this year, local Killarney resident, Bill Yates, raised concerns over the exponential escalation of commercial racehorse training on Killarney and other beaches. Despite what some say, this was a new phenomenon. There had always been Rundles trail rides, operating under permit, some small local trainers doing recouperative work and the odd recreational rider. They weren’t a problem.

I was stunned to see the scale of the impact the commercial horse training was having on our beaches. It’s like no man’s land. All ecology is destroyed in the path of the training horses.

Through Bill’s concern, a group of Killarney locals formed the Belfast Coastal Reserve Action Group. We naively thought that by pointing out our concerns to the relevant land managers – Moyne Shire Council, DELWP and Parks Victoria – they would advise the commercial horse trainers that they were breaking the law.

Instead, we were shocked to discover that not only would they not act to stop the inappropriate activities but that they sought to assist the commercial trainers to have a training facility on our local beaches. What became apparent was that there is no unified plan and no solid, enforceable, regulations to protect the Reserve, other than the State Wildlife Act and the Federal EPBC Act, to protect the vulnerable Hooded Plover.

Aboriginal Victoria has acted decisively to protect midden sites that were being destroyed by horses training in the dunes.

The Belfast Coastal Reserve, from Levys Point to Port Fairy, has very high environmental values and was gazetted as a reserve in the 1870s (one of the first in Australia). It’s a small remnant of once wild country that remains despite the ravages of colonisation. It is a haven for natural biodiversity and passive human recreation.

The Hooded Plover is listed as a vulnerable species in Victoria and BCR has the highest concentration of nesting sites in the State. 

Commercial horse training is exactly that – it’s commercial. The only objective is to make money. No other commercial activity would be permitted on public land without appropriate regulations. 

Racecourses are public land also, much like our beaches. It seems unfair that the commercial racing industry now want to extend their holdings to our beaches. Horses are for courses, not beaches.

The time has come to stand up for the Belfast Coastal Reserve. I was born and raised here in this country and if I do nothing else in my life, I will commit to trying to save it for future generations.

We are faced with the might of the racing industry but we must stand up for what is right. The land managers, those charged with the responsibility to protect this small natural habitat for humans and wildlife, have all caved in to the racing industry Goliath. That industry wishes to exploit the area for commercial gain and we, the ratepayers, are expected to subsidise it. It is a wrong at every level. 

This area is home to a deep Aboriginal cultural history. Have we no self respect? Have we no conscience? Do we care for nothing else but money? Who will dare to stand up for these last remaining wild places? It’s just a little 20-kilometre stretch of natural coast and dunes, lovingly restored over the years by Coastcare and Landcare volunteers and others. Is it so much to ask, for its protection?

What has become apparent is the need for the Belfast Coastal Reserve to become a Coastal Park, with a clear set of unified regulations to protect the environment and regulate activities within the Park. Forty years of reports and recommendations have made this clear. The time has come to act.

Let’s show some common sense and save our beaches for human activities and conservation. It’s not a lot of land. It’s the least we can do.

Shane Howard, Killarney

I WAS shocked to see James Purcell’s support for commercial racehorse training at Killarney Beach. This is a place for public enjoyment and environmental conservation. The very limited interests of an industry group should not outweigh those for which the reserve was created and has been cared for by landcare groups, conservationists and general public who just want a peaceful place for quiet recreation and wildlife.  

Mr Purcell’s position would lead to the extinction of the Hooded Plover at Killarney and probably the same for all beach nesting birds there. His suggestion of a boardwalk is unworkable.

I ask him: Have you ever stopped, looked and thought about the Port Fairy and Warrnambool area that you represent? It is among the most environmentally damaged in Australia, with only the tiniest percentage of native fauna and flora remaining and very fragile habitats for wildlife. His position would see more destroyed. 

The commercial racehorse industry should not be built on the bones of our natural environment or on the loss of our quiet recreational places. This industry should invest some of its own spoils in suitable training facilities on its own land, not the public’s.

Bruce Campbell, chairman, Warrnambool Coastcare Landcare Network

I AM confident in saying that this short letter will be only one of many that you have received on the subject of the proposed beach closures in Warrnambool.  

I have read that trainer Darren Weir has openly stated his intention to close his operation and leave Warrnambool if this ridiculous situation cannot be resolved. Surely there must be people within the council who understand the importance of the racing industry to the local economy. The millions of dollars injected into local industry each and every year cannot be lost due to the antics of a few minority groups desperate for attention.

Animal rights protestors are rightfully ignored each May carnival and yet now the local council is threatening hundreds of jobs due to the loss of people like Darren Weir. I cannot even believe that I am having to write this letter. Talk about biting the hand that feeds them.

A friend and myself look forward to our annual pilgrimage to the May carnival each year. We have been visiting your beautiful city for 36 consecutive years. We want to visit again this year but have decided that unless this farce is resolved, we will cancel our already booked motel accommodation. This decision is not taken lightly as we genuinely look forward to getting away for the full week.

Peter Lake, Blackburn

IF THE Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning claim plovers eggs have been stolen from Killarney, why don't they just check the cameras the local bird lovers cohort have installed all along the beach between the basin below Tower Hill to Mills Point near the Port Fairy Golf Club?

I was told in the past, by one member of the bird group, that they had permission to install the cameras and were supported by DELWP. When I asked about public notification and open disclosure, I was told it was not their intent to inform the public that the cameras were installed the lengths of the beach.

Might be the odd nudist or some poor old dear having a wee break, but surely the egg thief would be identifiable on one of the cameras?

Joan Williams Fawcett, Warrnambool

WHAT a ripper of an idea – give the council candidates a chance to push their barrow (The Standard, question-and-answer series, start Thursday, September 29). 

It’s a pity not all took this opportunity to be involved. I've crossed those candidates that didn’t off my "to-vote-for list". Of all the other responses given, most were a nice little story about … well, I'm not sure. Only one stood out and should go straight through to the final – that was Richard Ziegeler. Hooray for a straight bloody answer; no need for waxing lyrical. You have my vote. Good work and good luck, Richard.  

Dallas Bridgman, Warrnambool

I AM bewildered by the amount of visual litter being created by many of the Warrnambool City Council candidates. There are multiple signs on multitudes of fences and cars covered with their smiling faces driving around town. Is this simply a case of sheep following sheep, or a scary sign of the ego-fuelled circus that lies ahead?

David Fary, Mount Duneed

WILL your vote at the council elections cost you, or someone you know, their job? Here is how that could happen: The CBD relies on people spending money therein to create jobs to employ people. This is being erased slowly, but surely, by shoppers exiting the CBD because of being victims of parking fines incurred because of unanticipated hold-ups in their shopping in their paid time in parking meters.

Currently people whom I have spoken to state that as a result of receiving an unfair parking fine, they now spend their money at Gateway Plaza. To a pensioner, a parking fine represents 17 per cent reduction in their weekly spending power.

Four candidates In the council elections are concerned to the point of voting for free parking in the CBD: Cr Peter Hulin, Cr Peter Sycopoulis, Cr Brian Kelson and Jennifer Lowe.

If you vote for them, you may well be sustaining long-term employment for those CBD workers who have the right to earn a living therein and put food on the table. They deserve your vote if you have the interests of people whom you know who could be affected, which I am sure you do.

The choice is yours. A vote for these applicants to help workers who otherwise may end up in an eventual unemployment situation because of parking meters in the Warrnambool CBD.

John O'Rourke, Warrnambool

LOCAL government in Victoria has a deplorable reputation. One only needs to listen to talkback radio, or read the newspapers to be aware of the many unreasonable, nonsensical and just, plain stupid decisions that councils make. Our lot badly need a huge change of attitude to the job they are doing, as well as changing the make-up of the council.

In a city the size of ours, with so many socio-economic areas, we must have wards and the councillors who represent them should either live, work or spend a reasonable amount of time in their wards.

This year we have 25 people to choose from. Apart from some of the “old brigade” we have only heard from two “newbies”. How are we to know what they will bring to the table? We won't know if they progressive and have ideas that will benefit Warrnambool and its people, or if they are just along for the ride.

Warrnambool is a great place to live, with warm and friendly people, excellent medical facilities and emergency services, and the council workers are terrific.

We only need more open and friendly people for the governing body to make our great city even greater. Listen to the people. They are the ones who put you there.

Richard White, Warrnambool

FORWARD thinking by the Andrews government leads to a promising future for the development of renewal energy. The government is to be congratulated on announcing a permanent ban on the exploration and development of all on-shore unconventional gas mining in Victoria including hydraulic fracturing and coal seam gas.

There is a strong relationship between our reliance upon fossil fuels and the continual rise in atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. A growing body of evidence suggests that the long-term environmental risks associated with unconventional gas mining, hydraulic fracking and coal seam gas mining are hazardous. In addition capital gains are limited to a very few, while employment opportunities and community growth are transient. Our state has a narrow window of opportunity to make the transmission to more sustainable energy patterns that may slow or even reduce our greenhouse emissions.

We wish to thank all those individuals in the community who signed our petitions. Several leaders in our region, from different political persuasion, notably James Purcell, Thomas Campbell, Roma Britnell, Dan Tehan, Roy Reekie and Michael McCluskey were united in their concerns about Unconventional Gas Mining in this area. In addition the encouragement and support from the Moyne Shire and Warrnambool councillors played a crucial role in helping us throughout the Lock the Gate campaign and their support was greatly appreciated.

Collectively our voices sent a clear message to the government. Together we can provide a brighter future for our children by adopting more sustainable lifestyle practices. Our vision becomes their reality. Thank you for your support.

Patricia Nesbitt,  Woodford 

A QUALITY rail service has a number of advantages that provide both social and economic benefit to a community. Compared to many countries in the world, our rail system lags behind in many with regards particularly when we look at the relative levels of economic output in these countries when compared to Australia.

Some of the key determinants of the value of a rail service are speed, frequency and reliability of service and the quality of rolling stock. In many ways the Warrnambool-Melbourne rail service falls short in these areas and is more reminiscent in some respects of a 19th century rail system. 

Direct country comparisons can be fraught with difficulty for a number of reasons, however, a contrast can sometimes be enlightening. For example the Milan-Florence line in Italy is a little longer than the Warrnambool-Melbourne line. This line has up to 79 services a day – as many as 21 of which are high speed (about 300km/h top speed). Even if we allow for population difference between cities and Victoria’s population density relative to Italy, the difference in service frequency and speed is still quite stark. Comparing rolling stock quality to ours is even more scary.

At the heart of the problem is essentially inadequate levels of funding being made available to optimise and improve on the service we currently experience. Wise allocation of public and private money into providing an effective and efficient passenger and freight rail system will bring significant economic and social benefits for many generations to come. Tapping into the $2 trillion in the superannuation system via long-term transport bonds is one possible way of doing this.

Michael McCluskey, Warrnambool

OPINION surveys show that half the people in Australia want to stop Muslim immigration because of fears of terrorism and concerns that Muslims have failed to assimilate. However, the focus on Muslims means that other groups which may pose a greater threat to Australia’s security and way of life are overlooked.

For example, the Catholic religion has a long and ongoing history of violence. The Crusades and many other religious wars were started by Catholics. World War II, the most destructive war of all time, was started by the Catholic, Adolf Hitler. At the end of World War II Nazi war criminals were hidden in French monasteries or escaped to South America on Vatican passports. 

The membership of notorious terrorist organisation the Irish Republican Army was exclusively Catholic while the Tupamaros (Uruguay), Shining Path (Peru), Ustaschas (Croatia), Sandinistas (Nicaragua) and Red Brigades (Italy) terrorist organisations were all based in overwhelmingly catholic nations.It is anti-democratic and has a long history of supporting Fascist regimes. In Australian history our two most violent and deadly threats to civil order, at Castle Hill (1804) and Eureka Stockade (1854) were led and carried out by Catholics. The infamous outlaw and cop killer Ned Kelly was a Catholic.

The epidemic of paedophilia that has swept Australia (and many parts of the world) was perpetrated by Catholic priests and covered up by the Catholic church. This cover up raises the fundamental question of the church’s attitude to Australian law. Is it a law abiding citizen or does the church see itself as a separate realm answerable to the laws of Rome?

The Catholic Church is also a (sharia?) law unto itself in other areas. It does not pay taxes. It discriminates against women. Female members cannot become priests. It does not comply with anti-discrimination laws that apply to non-faith employers. In Victoria, the Catholic church – at its schools, welfare agencies and other organisations – is able to discriminate against prospective employees on the basis of sexuality, gender or marital status if it doesn’t align with their religious ethos.

It appears that after 200 years in Australia, Catholics have still not fully assimilated. They have their own schools, hospitals, op shops, sporting and social organisations and political party.

The facts speak for themselves. To ensure our nation’s security and way of life all Catholic migration to Australia must end immediately. For good measure any Catholics convicted of criminal offences should be deported to their home country, the Vatican. 

Be alert but not alarmed and report any suspicious activity by Catholics to the authorities immediately.

Peter Martina, Warrnambool

NOW that the $9.7 billion windfall from the lease of the Port of Melbourne is finalised, the Andrews government can’t waste any more time getting to work on new regional transport infrastructure. There’s no excuse for Victorians to continue putting up with neglected, crumbling and dangerous roads in regional Victoria. Potholes, uneven surfacing and hidden hazards litter our regional and rural networks, slowing travel and increasing the risk to country drivers and their passengers every day.

Daniel Andrews was happy to spend $1.2 billion not building the East West link in Melbourne, but meanwhile, the state of the roads in country Victoria are making regional residents feel like second-class citizens. Every time motorists in country areas drive to work or do the groceries, they are strapping in for a bumpy ride. Potholes and dangerously uneven road surfaces have become a part of everyday travel, but this is simply unacceptable.

Negotiations by the Liberal-Nationals secured 10 per cent of the Port funds for regional transport infrastructure, with the final price tag nearly $4 billion more than expected. Including the $200 million already announced through the Regional Jobs and Infrastructure Fund, this makes a dedicated sum of almost $1.2 billion dollars for new rural transport infrastructure.

A survey on my website continues to record Victoria’s worst roads, with motorists sending detailed descriptions of the ordeals they endure through terrible road conditions. Now is the time to fix this mess. The sum of almost $1.2 billion ready to be spent on transport infrastructure leaves Daniel Andrews with no excuse to continue neglecting country roads.

Simon Ramsay MP

OCTOBER is Mental Health Month, and it is over this month that we put extra emphasis on understanding and recognising mental health issues. Although it is important to reflect in this month, I implore everyone to extend their reflection outside of October. The signs of mental health issues can be hard to detect or even deliberately hidden, therefore mental health awareness should be something we think about on a day-to-day basis.

This year’s theme for Mental Health Month is ‘Learn and Grow’. My organisation, Youth Off The Streets, has, and always will, encourage our young people to constantly learn about recognising and coping with various mental health issues. Our services provide psychologists, counsellors and trained youth workers to give our young people the best possible support that they so desperately need, but we still cannot reach every affected young Australian.

I have dedicated my life to helping the disadvantaged youth of Australia turn their lives around, and as such I have seen many of our youth struggle with a broad spectrum of mental illnesses. These illnesses are severely affecting our youth with a significant number of cases developing into long-term issues or even resulting in suicide.

Without continuous care and support, our young people run the risk of developing these long-term issues and this is simply not something we can allow to happen. Using this opportunity to tackle mental health issues in young people is crucial, as giving young people support and coping mechanisms in such a transitional period of their life sets them up for a successful future.

Youth Off The Streets has, and always will, advocate for our young people in their battle with mental health issues. However, in this month I am calling for more to be done. I ask that we take this Mental Health Month as an opportunity to grow as a nation and stand by our young people.

Father Chris Riley, CEO and founder, Youth Off The Streets