Simon Hills, Redesdale
I refer to a letter written by John Barker of Redesdale, in the Opinions section published back on May 15.
In the letter, Mr Barker casts aspersions on the good will of those who are ‘new’ to Redesdale, simply because they join one or more of the community committees and attempt to contribute ideas and different ways of doing things. These good folk are referred to by Mr Barker in his letter as ‘smug’ and ‘dopes’. In fact, they are land-owners resident in the Redesdale district who are keen to participate in committees whose sole purpose is to improve the facilities and manage public spaces. It is not at all relevant that they are new. Once upon a time, Mr Barker was ‘new’, bought land, paid council rates and contributed in his way to the local community.
Redesdale is growing rapidly, and needs vibrant committees to manage the local hall, the reserve and bring the benefits offered by the City of Greater Bendigo to our small community.
To my knowledge, in the nine years that I have lived in Redesdale, Mr Barker has not sat on any of the three committees, so I would judge his commitment as, at best, minimal. Having not participated in the committee processes he is therefore not equipped to judge their efficacy nor the intent of those who do serve.
Change is inevitable, and it is best to have people who are capable of managing that change sitting on our committees. Surely it is easy to see that any committees need a balance of experience, a managed turnover of participants, and people from varied backgrounds and experience.
That people new to the town are wanting to serve, contribute ideas and their valuable time for the benefit of all, is not an indictment but a blessing. The bile-laden letter from Mr Barker discredits him and disappoints many.
