The Senility Prayer
sue October 29th, 2008
THE SENILITY PRAYER
God grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway,
the good fortune to run into the ones I do,
and the eyesight to tell the difference.
Archive for October, 2008
Flight Training School (post 2)
sue October 27th, 2008
It was interesting to read the recent media coverage re the potential Flight Training School (Flight Training Queensland) proposal to locate to the Fraser Coast. This school is a very professionally run school currently based in Adelaide. The Maryborough City Council had made commitments about this school prior to amalgamation but final decisions etc will be made by the ‘new’ Fraser Coast Regional Council.
Questions that come to my mind relate to ‘real’ economic return for the region, ‘real’ cost to Council and the impact of noise on both Maryborough and Hervey Bay residents. Although the school buildings etc are proposed to be built on the Maryborough airport grounds the aircraft will use both airports to facilitate their training. The amount of flying undertaken is an issue as, in my personal opinion, the impact of 6 planes a day flying over my house is quite different to that from a possible plane flying over my house every 6 minutes.
Here is a recent media release responding to questions forwarded by the Fraser Coast Chronicle to the FCRC CEO Mr Andrew Brien.
MEDIA RELEASE
23 October 2008
Response to FCC re Flight Training Queensland
1: Is the flight training school plan being held up – if so why?
The FTQ Project is still in the process of negotiation between the two parties, these being the Fraser Coast Regional Council and Flight Training Australia. The process for negotiating an agreement of this type is complex and there is a need to ensure that all parties are happy with the final agreement. The Council and FTQ continue to discuss the project.
2: When do we expect to see movement on the flight training school if it is not being held up?
A number of workshops, a site visit to Adelaide and updates provided by State Government Departments have already been undertaken. Council has been progressively briefed on the FTQ project. Many of the briefings have been undertaken on a confidential basis due to the commercial nature of discussions.
3: Have officials any documented evidence that the flight training school should not go ahead?
The Council has been provided with extensive information in relation to the project which outlines all of the benefits and issues associated with the project. This information has been assessed and matters identified are being worked through.
4: Are there any Council officials stalling the project?
No.
5: Does the flight path of the proposed school fly over the CEO’s house?
While the question is irrelevant, the Flight Training School at this stage has not provided any flight paths. A review of the flight paths of the existing Flight Training Australia operations in Adelaide shows that the majority of houses in Maryborough would be under the flight path. This is shown on the diagram contained in a report prepared by Airservices Australia. The map is provided below and provides an overview of the flight paths over the Parafield site over a 3 week period.
ENDS
My copying and pasting skills are lacking so here is the link to the report which includes maps of flight paths etc at the Adelaide Parafield Airport.
http://www.airservices.gov.au/projectsservices/reports/nfpms/2006/PF1484.pdf
Sounds of silence!
sue October 23rd, 2008
It’s Friday. Yeah! No meetings today. No rush this morning so I take time to read the paper before setting out for my morning walk quite a bit later than usual. My wonderful companion Sharna is still sporting her shaved torso after underging scans etc earlier in the week, but she is always keen to sniff and smell and see what has changed along the pathway since yesterday morning. The sky is blue and the sun is shining. Hardly a cloud in the sky and no wind. A perfect Hervey Bay morning.
As we walk through the vine forest to the beach I notice the tide is retreating and the sand is still coated in a layer of green. A usual occurrence at this time of year. The shoreline is dotted with birds. Two pure white egrets (I think..) poke their beaks into the muddy sand for breakfast as do our small group of pied oystercatchers which have been visiting these last few weeks. Their bright red beaks and feet and black and white plumage make them easy to spot. Seagulls and sandpipers complete the picture along the waters edge but looking inland, along the edge of the forest, I spot ‘Ozzie1′ or ‘Ozzie2′ (yes we have two Ospreys but I can’t tell them apart) resting in his favourite dead tree. High up he sits surveying his terrain. Rainbow bee eaters dart between the shoreline Casuarinas and butterflys flit this way and that.
Looking down I notice many Ladybirds on the sand. More and more of them are here so I’m careful where I place my feet. These little red and black insects are here in their thousands it seems. I wonder what draws them to the beach as I have not noticed them before. They fly away when I approach or sit and reorganise their wings folding and unflolding them. I hope that they find what they are looking for.
I can’t help but feel uplifted. The last few weeks have been tough ones so it is with a renewed sense of pleasure in the simple natural beauty of life that lifts my spirits. I enjoy the peaceful sounds of nature and the sheer beauty of this small patch of preserved vine forest and beautiful beach. Once again I rejoice at the simple pleasure of being so very lucky to live here and to be able to walk along such a lovely stretch of coastline whenever I please.
Just before I reach my pathway home I hear a drone. The sound is a plane approaching. I stop and look to the sky expecting one of our frequent light planes to be travelling past but no, I can’t see anything. The noise increases and as I look further afield I watch as a large jet approaches. The bright orange Jetstar logo and silver fuselage glint in the morning sunshine. I wonder how many people are visiting us for the first time or returning to the city that they call home. I think about the many plane trips I seem to make these days and how easy it is to travel to places far away. The contrast between my silent, peaceful natural surrounds and the noisy but magnificent silver aeroplane is stark. I admire how clever mankind is. That we can build such beautiful machines to fly through the skies and take us to every far corner of this, our planet Earth, is a reflection of the cleverness of human achievement.
I return home wondering how we can maintain the right balance. How can we preserve and protect everything that is good and wonderful and beautifully natural upon our planet while at the same time digging the earth and damming our rivers to supply the food, water and minerals that we use to survive and proliferate? How many people is the right amount of people that this planet can support and how do we decide? How many noisy planes can fly over my otherwise serene neighbourhood before I feel annoyed and invaded by ‘progress’? The big questions and the little questions. I return home thankful that I live here. Our Fraser Coast is truly a place to be treasured.
Special Council Meeting called about water.
sue October 15th, 2008
There is a Special (Council) Meeting called on behalf of the Mayor, as I understand it, tomorrow at 1.30pm at Hervey Bay. This meeting has been called to decide on the recommendations of the Water Review Committee. I expect that Council will make a decision in relation to the future structure for water and sewerage services provision for the Fraser Coast. I expect the discussion to take place in open Council and not behind doors in confidential or closed session.
Here is the link.
The meeting agenda can be found under the Ordinary meetings heading on the FCRC web site.
Rather than post anew post I am including the Resolution that resulted from the Special meeting which is as follows.
RESOLUTION ( Brooks / Nioa )
That:
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- Council endorse the findings of the Water Review Committee in relation to the establishment of a single water entity for the Fraser Coast Regional Council;
- A Transition Plan, including financial arrangements, governance arrangements and pricing structures be developed through the Water Review Committee and be provided to Council for resolution;
- Staff and Union consultation with Fraser Coast Water staff commence immediately in relation to the proposed changes;
- The existing Council representatives on the Water Review Committee continue to progress the recommendations in conjunction with Wide Bay Water;
- An effective date of 1 July 2009 be set for the commencement of the entity; and
- The following guiding principles be used for the development of Terms of Reference for the Transitional Committee:
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- All findings, recommendations and areas for improvement of both the Yarra Valley Water Report and the Price Waterhouse Coopers Report be incorporated into the transitional arrangements;
- A further review of the AEC Report and the PWC prepared by the former Hervey Bay City Council and Wide Bay Water respectively;
- The development and implementation of a staff transitional plan consistent with the provisions of the Workforce Transition Code of Practice; and
- Regular reports be provided to Council on the development and implementation of the transition plan.
Carried Unanimously
I am pleased with this resolution as it gives us the opportunity to closely examine the best way forward for combining our water and sewerage activities. The inclusion of a review of the HBCC commissioned AEC report is also intended to ensure that issues addressed within this report are looked at by the current Council.
A week away
sue October 1st, 2008
Just a quick note to apologise in advance. I have had some family health hassles recently and need to have a week away. I must admit that health services in Brisbane aren’t an improvement on ours and spending a day in hospital there (not as the patient) made me appreciate our local hospitals a lot more.
I will be away from tomorrow till the 10th October and am not sure if I will have web access so I may not be able to moderate comments etc. So feel free to continue to send comments but it may take a week or so for them to appear on the site. Take care, look after yourselves and never ever take good health for granted. Cheers, Sue