Letters to the editor - Jan 16

Chris explained that weeds cost Australia $13 million a day, and showed maps of Australia where declared pest weeds occur, ranging from needle grasses, which are painful and devalue meat carcases, Coolatai grass, which burns hot enough to destroy rainforest, fountain grasses and African lovegrass, which have no value as stock feed, as well as the dreaded burrweeds, caltrop, innocent weed and noogoora burr and the highly undesirable spiny rush which is very similar to coastal rush, to name a few.

The above horrors seem to be everywhere, but I noted with pride that the SE of SA was clear of many, unlike Vic, which is a worry.

If you find a plant that you are unsure of, it would be very wise to have it identified as soon as possible, as some of the above are prolific seeders and the sooner a small patch is eradicated the better, time and money- wise.

It is illegal to move dirty machinery around and most people are now educated in that area. Highways are a great place for weeds. Check tyres, shoes and loading yards and new stock for thorns, seeds and burrs. Don't forget innocent weed also has the black 'sentinel seed' at its base.

Have your carry bag with you always.

Another Oysterfest has been and gone, leaving, as usual, divisive debate and disagreement about its perceived success or failure.

An area of contention, according to feedback, has been the lack of community involvement at all levels of the planning, organisation and running of the 2019 Oysterfest.

Historically, there has been a gradual decline in community involvement, particularly since January 2002, when the District Council of Ceduna appointed Rob Curkpatrick as the events co-ordinator, with a specific focus on the total solar eclipse in December of that year.

Providing a salaried position to run what was essentially a community event, instigated and facilitated by a hardworking committee, alienated many locals who had given their time, effort and commitment so generously for the previous decade.

The District Council, through necessity, has taken major responsibility for the Oysterfest, both financially and administratively over the past decade.

With the combined deficits for the past 11 years now totalling $669 587, excluding any employee labour, the future viability of the Oysterfest should be questioned.

Given the following statement, included in the tourism and events officer's comprehensive and well-written report to council - "While it is still important for local businesses and organisations to be involved with the Oysterfest, to use as platform to promote themselves, evidence now clearly shows that it is no longer viable to continue the festival as a locally-focused event" - alarm bells should be ringing loudly in the ears of all at the District Council of Ceduna.

While it is admirable to see Ceduna develop as a tourist destination, given its fantastic natural features, excellent facilities and the wide range of activities available, deeper consideration must be given to pursuing this aim in light of our economic situation.

Do wage and salary earners, who are experiencing extremely low wage growth, and self-funded retirees, who are receiving low rates of interest on their investments, have the necessary disposable income to be able to afford to participate in tourist activities in remote and isolated regions such as ours?

Can our present council afford to pursue this direction and expose ratepayers to further budgetary losses at this time?