The Beast’s Monthly Mailbag – March 2018

By jimmyhutton on March 1, 2018 in

Booooring!
Hey Beastie Boys – Can you please start asking the local blokes and chicks, “Who is your favourite person (outside of family, kids, or significant other)?” I’m getting a bit bored of the standard family response – spice things up a bit!
Zoe
Bondi

Stranded Response
Dear Editor – It’s ironic that Andrew Worssam should describe car parks as “stranded assets”! By doing so he contradicts everything he’s said for the last five years. (Letters, The Beast, January 2018)
For years, Mr Worssam has been declaring the importance and sanctity of the Bondi Beach car park. It’s “heritage”, he would say, as if it is Australia’s version of the Acropolis.
For years, Mr Worssam has lovingly photographed the car park to be displayed in local publications, The Beast included. Where most people see an ugly eyesore, Mr Worssam sees an architectural jewel.
Yet now Mr Worssam says this: “Car parks are going to become stranded assets as autonomous vehicles become the norm and personal car ownership falls.”
Well, you know what? I totally agree! Car-sharing will cause personal car ownership to fall and, along with self-driving vehicles, will reduce the need for parking. Yes, I agree! Less private vehicles and more public transport is the way to go.
So my question to Mr Worssam is this: When can we declare the overground Bondi Beach car park a “stranded asset” and convert those many acres of concrete into the extra green and recreational space we need?
With Sydney’s increasing population and density, surely even Mr Worssam can see it is archaic to have a 17,595 square metre concrete car park adjacent to one of the most popular and visited spots in the world. It is, as he would say, a “stranded asset”!
Bill Davies
Bondi Beach

Green Thumb camaraderie
On the corner of McKeon and Hereward Streets, Maroubra, there is a really great cafe called the North End. Outside the cafe, and controlled by the cafe, there are garden boxes that once contained all sorts of veggies, herbs, etc. and a composting bin. Rats invaded and the rats were eliminated with the subsequent uprooting of the existing flora and the composting bin.
Recently I began planting all sorts of things in the remaining plots. I collect the eyes of potatoes, capsicum seeds, tomato seeds, cucumber seeds, pumpkin seeds, passionfruit seeds, choko seeds, avocado seeds, peach, lemon and apple seeds, and sprouts from ginger and garlic.
Grass and weeds were taking over faster than I could fight them, and as I was dolefully surveying them one day a voice said, “How’s it going?” A nice young man wearing a Randwick Council shirt listened while I explained what I was doing. We discussed what was showing up from my efforts and he pointed out I was planting avocado seeds too close together. Then he asked me if I would like help with the overgrowth. Naturally I said “Yes”. A week later and all the beds are ready for planting, with a cover of straw – no grass or weeds. How lovely of this young man and his wonderful council.
Pamela Young
Maroubra

Great Work
Hi James – Thank you so much for placing a piece in the February edition of The Beast about our research. To date, we have had seven enquiries from people responding to the article, and three people enrolled in the study. This is a great response for us. Your magazine is obviously well read and respected. Great work.
Thanks again James. Without people like you offering to spread the information to the community, research like ours could never be completed, and a lot of important questions about effective, evidence-based treatments left unanswered.You are definitely on our Christmas card list.
Pauline Zahara
Research Associate
Neuroscience Research Australia

Researchers at Neuroscience Research Australia are conducting research into how to prevent and treat back pain. If you are between 18 and 70 years of age, live in Sydney and would be interested in participating in a study, please contact the researchers by emailing resolve@neura.edu.au.

Hospital Refurbishment
I refer to the article in the ‘Bits and Pieces’ section in the January 2018 issue of The Beast. How many readers know that the refurbishment of the Prince of Wales Hospital complex comes at the expense of 88 homes being acquired for this purpose? These homes are in Eurimbla Avenue, Botany and Magill Streets in Randwick.
A Resident Affected
by the Development
Randwick

Respect Yourself First
“Anyway, the policeman was there for a kill…” (On Yer Bike, Letters, The Beast, January 2018). Relevant to this letter was the article in the December 13, 2017 edition of The Wentworth Courier.
“Police said most pedestrians and cyclists were well behaved last Tuesday during a city-wide operation including the Eastern Suburbs,” the article said.
“The high visibility operation ran from 6am to 6pm. There were 59 cyclists disobeying traffic lights, 34 riding on footpaths, 56 not wearing a helmet and 11 caught for other offences. There were also 70 pedestrian offences.”
Bicycle riders use the roads for free and should follow the rules of the road and show some respect. After all, bicycle riders are not tested and not licenced whilst riding their (generally) unregistered and uninsured vehicles on the road. Fees could be charged to bicycle riders in the future and this could lead them to care more about their responsibilities to themselves, as well as their responsibilities to others using the road.
E.L.H.
Bondi Junction

No Ifs or Butts
Dear Editor – No ifs or butts, the result of the NSW Government’s delayed and imperfect Cash for Cans scheme has largely cleared the streets and gutters in some parts of Sydney from cans and plastic bottles, but this only shows up the large number of discarded cigarette butts, packets and single-use plastic cups that are left behind.
Clearly, the next step should be a container deposit and refund barcode on cigarette packets and butts, with refunds available through the limited existing network of NSW barcode-reading ‘Trash for Cash’ machines.
Wishing you well in all things and hoping to hear from you soon
Garry P Dalrymple
Earlwood