Sue Brooks' Blog

Sue Brooks October 26th, 2009

Dear Peter.

The Queensland State Government has used dodgy science and political reasoning to justify an environmental folly. While Australian Governments continue to promote population growth I fear for our future. Yes we do need a water supply for our peoples but at what ultimate cost?

The Traveston Dam is in the wrong place. The site was chosen for political reasons and not on solid scientific evidence. The Mary River is home to protected species such as the lung fish and Mary River Turtle. The land due to be flooded, is productive farming country and the estuary an important fishery and Ramsar wetland. All these things you know.

Please do what is the morally and ethically right thing to do and give the Queensland State Government a rejection slip. No fish way can replicate the environmental factors necessary for river species survival. A dam should be built in high hilly country not in the middle of a productive but shallow valley.

I ask you to let common sense prevail and reject this flawed proposal.

Thank you for listening.

 Cheers, Sue

If we all write to Peter Garrett it can only help. We have nothing to lose after all. Feel free to copy this and send it yourself. The email address for Minister Peter Garrett is Peter.Garrett.MP@aph.gov.au

Last week was a sad one as we decided to say goodbye to our dog Jake who was 16 years and 10 months old. Jake was a faithful and kind hearted dog and we miss him dearly. The puppies are a great help though in keeping us busy and pre occupied and they keep the house filled with activity and fun. I had forgotten how funny and active puppies are and how quickly they claim a place inside our heart.

On Saturday we travelled to Torbanlea and enjoyed a day at the races. It was wonderful to see so many people dressed up for the day and having a fun time. In the evening we travelled to the Brolga for the Tourism awards. The awards evening was very well run with Sophie Formica doing a great job as MC. Congratulations to all the very worthy winners and entrants. You all work very hard to make the Fraser Coast and South Burnett region a place that welcomes visitors.

Farewell Jake. We miss you.

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Sue Brooks October 18th, 2009

Well I survived and as far as I know so did the other 99 riders that took part in the inaugural Tour de Bay this morning. The weather was fine, the riders were keen and the route magnificent. Although I decided to err on the side of caution and rode the shortest distance which was about 10-11kms, I must say I haven’t enjoyed an early Sunday morning this much… well since last I went early morning snorkelling.

The organisation was superb and what better way to raise funds for our community centre while having fun and getting fit all at the same time. Apart from nearly getting wiped out by someone suddenly opening a car door in front of me, the ride was a pleasure and the friendliness of everyone added to the enjoyment. We had elderly riders and young riders and next year I plan to ride the 26km route. Janey Richards kept me going and a few of us girls are planning to ride regularly and enjoy a coffee in the weeks to come. This should ensure we are trained up well enough to tackle longer distances. This morning took us about 40 minutes at a leisurely pace and included a stop and chat with the drink stop helpers.

I hope that the event becomes a yearly one and that next year we attract 200 + riders. Hervey Bay is really the best place ever to ‘get on your bike’. if anyone wants to add some donations to the fund raising please drop me a line or leave donations at Mind Games or directly to the event organisers per their web site. http://www.ourcommunitycentre.com.au/joomla/fundraising/bay-charity-bike-ride.html

riders ready to go

Mayor Mick

Cr Gerard O Connell, Jennifer Chapman and partner Lachlan

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Sue Brooks October 15th, 2009

 For those of us that still question the issue of climate change and our human impact on our home planet I found this description about carrying capacity a simple but useful explanation. It is part of the Sunshine Coast Regional Councils new Climate Change Strategy and I recommend it to you.

http://www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/sitePage.cfm?code=cc-strategy#overview

I am very pleased to say that our Fraser Coast Regional Council has now appointed our Sustainability Officer and I expect that he will commence working towards a similar strategy for our region. Luckily in this day and age of easy communication we don’t need to reinvent the wheel and can share and learn from our regional neighbouring Councils.

 I still find it hard to believe that some of our most senior pollies question the need for Australia to address the issues of climate change. While I am confident that in my lifetime I won’t witness any very obvious impacts of climate change I worry that my children will. An even worse worry is what type of planet are we leaving for our grand children? When will we start to seriously examine the way in which we are greedily gulping up the worlds natural resources including coal? I hope that the community continues to ask our leaders to plan for the long term and not simply plan for continual economic growth. A sustainable world economy must be developed and the sooner we all realise this the happier I will be.

From the Sunny Coast strategy….

‘Carrying Capacity:the population that can be supported indefinitely by its supporting systems. In ecological terms, the carrying capacity of an ecosystem is the size of the population that can be supported indefinitely upon the available resources and services of that ecosystem. Living within the limits of an ecosystem depends on three factors: 

• the amount of resources available in the ecosystem,

• the size of the population, and

• the amount of resources each individual is consuming.

A simple example of carrying capacity is the number of people who could survive in a lifeboat after a shipwreck. Their survival depends on how much food and water they have, how much each person eats and drinks each day, and how many days they are afloat. If the lifeboat made it to an island, how long the people survived would depend upon the food and water supply on the island and how wisely they used it. A small desert island will support far fewer people than a large continent with abundant water and good soil for growing crops.

In this example, food and water are the natural capital of the island. Living within the carrying capacity means using those supplies no faster than they are replenished by the island’s environment: using the ‘interest’ income of the natural capital. A community that is living off the interest of its community capital is living within the carrying capacity. A community that is degrading or destroying the ecosystem on which it depends is using up its community capital and is living unsustainably.

Equally important to community sustainability is living within the carrying capacity of the community’s human, social and built capital. Carrying capacity is much harder to measure for these types of capital, but the basic concept is the same — are the different types of capital being used up faster than they are being replenished? For example:

• A community that allows its children to be poorly educated, undernourished, and poorly housed is eroding its human capital.
• A community that allows the quality of its social interactions to decline through lack of trust, respect, and tolerance is eroding its social capital.
• A community that allows its buildings, roads, parks, power facilities, water facilities, and waste processing capability to decay is eroding its built capital.

Additionally, a community that is creating built capital without considering the future maintenance of that capital is setting itself up for eventual decay.

So, in the context of sustainability, carrying capacity is the size of the population that can be supported indefinitely upon the available resources and services of supporting natural, social, human, and built capital’.

http://www.sustainablemeasures.com/Sustainability/KeyTermCarryingCap.html

And lastly look what we found on the beach yesterday……… So what does the US defense force do with its litter?

USA defending our seas?

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Sue Brooks October 11th, 2009

ready to go

I have put my hand up to participate in the Tour De Bay. I have bought the bike and the helmet and have had a couple of very enjoyable practice rides locally. I’m am looking forward to next weekend when hopefully hundreds of us will take to the paths and roads to raise money for the Hervey Bay Community Centre.

The tour should be great fun and the cause is a very worthy one. I have chosen to ride just the 10 kms (start off carefully is my motto) and am looking forward to it. If you would like to join in the fun here is the web site

http://www.ourcommunitycentre.com.au/joomla/fundraising/bay-charity-bike-ride.html

I am going to try and raise some funds so if you would like to sponsor me drop me a line or call into Mind Games where Graham has the paperwork. The local Bicycle Users Group are assisting and the day will end with a fair and party at the Botanic Gardens. Should be a great day out! Now I just have to remember to use that left hand to stop and not back peddle….

On Friday I attended the UDIA luncheon where Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasle spoke. He is a vibrant, passionate and entertaining speaker and told us about his visions for Ipswich. While Paul spoke proudly about the value of growth and development he emphsised that ‘good development’ was essential and that his Council does not tolerate ‘bad’ development.

After the talk I asked Paul about the problems of focussing entirely on growth for Ipswich’s future. I asked what happens when you run out of land on which to build. Paul promptly replied that there is only room for 650k people in the Ipswich region and that is the capacity aimed for. I am going to further the discussion to discover how Paul plans to change the economic focus of the area post the development boom. He is quite assured that Ipswich can become a sustainable city.  He says after 650k people they would run out of jobs so I look forward to learning more about Ipswich future plans. I was very impressed with Paul and the energy and passion that he uses to drive his vision for Ipswich. I am sure staff at Ipswich Council have an interesting life working along side him.

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Sue Brooks October 7th, 2009

I’m not a poet or all that clever with words but in response to Peter Chapman who recently implied that Hervey Bay was somewhat lacking in the heart and soul department, I can’t resist responding…

Hervey Bay has a strongly beating heart and a warm and wondrous soul. Our heart is not hard to find. You find it in all the people who pick up the litter on the beaches and roadsides without being asked, that lend a hand to a neighbour or friend in need, that smile and let you go in front of them at the supermarket when you only have two things to buy. You hear our heart beating in the people that know your dogs name (not yours) and say g’day each and every morning as you stroll along the beach or walkway, that grab the mail and papers from your yard when you go away, that send you the jokey emails cause they care enough to share a laugh with you, that volunteer at the library, gallery, meals and wheels and every where else there is a need just to help out and keep active, and that smile rather than frown and greet newcomers with a warm welcome and a ’so where are you from mate?’ Our heart is beating in the Queenslanders from here and from afar that shake their heads but smile when we ex Southerners, prattle on about daylight saving and that game we love called aerial ping pong. Hervey Bay’s heart is found in all these people.

Ah but to our soul. Our soul is found in the clear blue skies and sunny warm days, the beautiful blue ocean where fishes and coral abound, the green foreshore and bountiful parklands full of tall trees and native wildlife, the big sandy island known as Fraser and the adjoining wetlands known as the Great Sandy Strait. We see our soul reflected in the rivers that wind their way slowly through our rural hinterland and the beaches where we walk and play.

Our souls soar when we realise just how lucky we are to live in such a place as Hervey Bay. We come here because of its beauty, its wonderful climate it’s relaxed and laid back lifestyle and its community of people that come from everywhere and anywhere. Not for us the tall towers of steel, glass and concrete. Not for us the noisy traffic choked smelly streets of ‘the big smoke’. Not for us the impersonal hustle and bustle of city life. We treasure a low rise city where our children can run free and where us more elderly folk, can see out our days peacefully.

So Peter, we invite you to join with us in protecting and preserving our beautiful Bay. Hervey Bay is a very special place. We cherish it and try very, very hard to care for it. We don’t want it spoiled ‘by progress’. I am sure that you will find our heart does not beat within our buildings but it beats ever so steadily and strongly within our people and you will find that our soul is everywhere around us. Our soul is found in the warm clear air we breathe, the blue waters in which we play and the green lands on which we live. Welcome.

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Sue Brooks October 1st, 2009

Firstly it’s great to have my PC back after 3 days of not having it. It caught a virus and to cut a long story shot I ended up spending the bucks and having it professionally cleaned up. Thank you to Tony and the team from TTECS. It is very frustrating not being online but then I did survive OK and found I caught up with Council work more easily. I determined personal emails, web site comments etc could wait for the three days. So while I do endeavour to respond to everyone promptly sometimes things do crop up in our lives that take precedence or are unavoidable and correspondence just takes a bit longer.

The Chamber of Commerce Brekky in the Bay on Wednesday morning was well received and well covered in the Chronicle. I think both Daniel Poacher (UDIA) and David King (Council) did a good job of expressing their representative view points. I hope that the audience came away with a better appreciation of the issues impacting on both development and Council and that by working co-operatively together we can do what is best for our community. As a Councillor it is a constant challenge to look at all sides of an issue and to try and find solutions and actions that are in the best interests of our wider community and not just geared to satisfy one particular interest group at the expense of the greater community. (PS Daniel I do understand the importance of the construction industry and its relationship to the economy. Please remember I am part owner of a retail business)

This morning I opened the paper and was dismayed to see a story written by Toni McRae reporting on what a male Councillor had told her. I suppose every classroom of kids contains diversity. There will always be a smattering of individuals with differing levels of intelligence, different personalities, different interests and different understandings of their responsibilities in relation to honesty, truthfulness and pride in their class or school.  It appears to me that this behaviour also translates to every group of adults  whether they be in the business and private sector or working for the community within government. Some people tend to mature or develop a sense of responsibility more quickly than others and some people never seem to mature at all.

So it goes without saying that I am disappointed to read comments attributed to one of my male colleagues. I believe if an elected member wants to speak to the media that they should do so without hiding behind the veil of anonymity. If we have something of value to say we should say it publicly. I do not want to add more fuel to the fire but I simply wish to say I disagree with the comments as reportedly made by a colleague.

And on a happier note. Both puppies Ellie and Becki are growing and keeping us on our toes with their energy levels. It is refreshing to see them play with each other and sleep with each other. They enjoy each other tremendously so I think getting two puppies was a good idea.

The Guinea’s are revolting though. It seems that with lust and love in the air the girls have decided to nest or find some peace outside our backyard. It looks like the reputation of Guinea’s being hard to house is true and the neighbours may have some new visitors it seems. Hopefully they will all settle down and the street will adapt to the rather loud calling and crying while Spring is in the air!

Lastly we have another dead turtle on the beach. A large one with a huge gash in its shell. It does look like a boat strike although I can’t tell if that was the cause of death or not. Please ring the stranding hotline if you find turtles etc washed up on the beach dead or alive. The DERM staff do a great job of tracking them. Here is the info on their web site.

What to do if you find a stranded marine animal
If you find a sick or dead turtle, dugong, dolphin or whale, please phone our stranding hotline 1300 130 372 with details of location, what animal it is (if known), and whether it is dead or alive. If conditions are suitable, QPWS staff will go to the site and collect information about the dead or stranded wildlife. QPWS or the local council usually arrange for the animal’s rehabilitation or disposal of the carcass.

Cheers, Sue

dead turtle

dead turtle

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