Bonds will be broken by greyhound racing ban
I CONCUR with Irene Buttsworth's summary (Western Advocate, August 31) of the effect the greyhound racing ban will have on our community.
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And Irene is so right - mental health will be the biggest issue.
Greyhound trainers dedicate their lives to ensuring the health, welfare and happiness of their dogs. We spend our time exercising, grooming and bathing them, preparing food for them and travelling to meetings.
Greyhound training is time-consuming but fun. It is not a project or hobby that can be put to one side. Having greyhounds is a lifestyle choice.
There are early mornings, late nights, no days off, no or very few holidays.
The achievement of winning a race is our financial reward, but the love of our dogs and friendships made within the industry are the fabric of our social and emotional wellbeing.
The ban will result in much sadness as friendships with people from near and far parts of the state fade away due to losing the bond of attending race meetings together, and families who are involved in greyhound racing will have their lifestyle choice ruined.
Lynn Maney, Wimbledon
Horse racing and rodeos will be the next to go
I HAVE sympathy for all greyhounds and their owners and trainers in NSW.
It is obvious that dogs love chasing rabbits. This is nature at work.
I think it is devastating for the dogs and also the owners and trainers who have relied on greyhound racing for their livelihood for the sport to be banned.
I understand how many people dislike the idea of a greyhound grabbing a live rabbit in its mouth, but if this hadn’t happened in the 1860s when rabbits were introduced to Australia, our country would have been inundated by rabbits.
If this law isn’t rescinded, horse racing, campdrafting and rodeos should all take warning and be prepared for what’s in store.
Bill Hoolihan, Rydal
Perthville and Georges Plains deserve much better
THE villages of Georges Plains and Perthville have experienced three floods in recent weeks.
These floods need not have happened if a reasonable amount of maintenance had been carried out on the Vale Creek and Georges Plains Creek in the vicinity of these villages.
There have been several public meetings at Perthville and Georges Plains going back to the late 1950s to try to find a solution to the flooding. (The reasons are well known and easy to identify.)
A public meeting of approximately 75 people at NewHaven Park, Georges Plains after the 1990 flood at Georges Plains gained another flood study costing in the vicinity of $40,000.
Since then the siltation of the creeks has resulted in the beds of the creeks rising, the number of willow trees in the middle of the creeks increasing and phragmites and blackberries completely blocking the creek in places.
Bathurst Regional Council has flood studies recommending that certain works be done. But a public meeting at Perthville has previously been told that some government departments would not permit any maintenance to proceed on the creeks.
It would be a help if the government departments explained their position so a solution can be found ASAP.
We have all the studies and recommendations needed going back many years, but no serious action to date.
Local government area amalgamations and reduced representation is not helping as the residents of Perthville and Georges Plains do not have a local representative on Bathurst Regional Council batting for them.
Let’s get this job done.
