Embracing the challenge
Your article ‘Extremely poor practice’, Bunyip 12 March 2025 P13, highlights the challenges faced by Light Regional Council in ensuring best use of ratepayer dollars.
Council is not alone in facing economic challenges to make savings – I know that our residents are daily struggling to meet cost of living increases.
In reducing funds available to council’s economic development budget, myself and my fellow councillors will now work to how achieve best outcomes for the community while at the same time meeting council budgets.
As an elected member for Mudla Wirra ward I embrace this challenge and look forward to developing the upcoming budget.
Councillor Bill Close,
Gawler River
Sheffield Shield final in perspective
Now that a decision has been made concerning South Australia hosting the Sheffield Shield (SS) final at the Karen Rolton Oval from March 26-30, despite wishing to do so at Adelaide Oval (AO), the time is right to look at this decision in perspective.
The AFL has the contractual rights to AO from March 15 each year.
Since the inception of the SS competition in the summer of 1892-93, the trophy was awarded to the state on top at the end of the home-and-away series.
From the 1982-83, for reasons best known to Cricket Australia, the top two teams, after the home-and-away round, have met in a final played over five days at the home ground of the top ranked team.
A SS final has not been hosted at Adelaide Oval since 1996, with South Australia’s last home final played at Glenelg Oval.
The encroachment of the AFL season into March over the last 15 years has meant that venues that host both first-class cricket and Australian Rules Football, such as Adelaide Oval, the MCG, the SCG and Perth Stadium have been unavailable to host SS finals due to football being prioritised once the winter code begins its season.
A SS final has not been played at any of those venues since 2012 when Queensland hosted the final at the Gabba.
Since then, Victoria has hosted finals at Alice Springs and Hobart, while NSW has hosted a final in Canberra before Junction Oval and Cricket Central became viable grounds. Queensland has hosted two finals at Allan Border Field in recent years.
Richard Harris,
Gawler
A lesson from the wombat abuser
The American influencer who thought it was fun to take a baby wombat from his mother has been advised by the Prime Minister to try taking a crocodile instead.
“Take another animal that can actually fight back,” he suggested.
Of course, that is not her style. In her hunting videos which appeal to those aroused by blood and death, she grins inanely over the corpses of innocent deer she has ambushed.
She is likely to be deported and, except for psychopaths who love blood sports, we will all say good riddance.
But the Prime Minister missed an obvious point. In Australia, we kill two million chickens, cattle, sheep and pigs every day, after tormenting them with dehorning and debeaking to ensure they, like the wombat, cannot defend themselves.
If the PM is really concerned with protecting animals that can’t fight back, he should immediately withdraw support and subsidies to the meat corporations and encourage Australians to eat plant-based foods that are better for us, our environment, and particularly gentle, innocent animals.
Dr Desmond Bellamy
Special projects co-ordinator
PETA Australia
