Michele Rae, Ballina
I recently purchased property and moved next to a local primary school. How do you think my complaints about the increasing traffic morning and afternoon and the noise of giggling, squealing and cheering school children would be received?
But I have no such issue, I love it and I knew the school was there before I bought. If I lived next door to the crematorium would I have a leg to stand on complaining about the smoke?
Now what on Earth are we doing as a community bending to a squeaky wheel who purchased near the Shaws Bay Hotel?
The Shaws Bay Hotel have been running a fantastic event that supports local artists, is embraced by the local community and sought out by tourists.
The Sunday afternoon live music in the sun there is arguably one of the most well-loved Sunday sessions on the east coast; people of all ages and from all walks of life have enjoyed this event by the lake since the mid-1980s.
This event adds to the cultural richness of our community, brings people together and is so well renowned that any given Sunday one could find a bus parked outside as some social group from somewhere has made their way to own town, with their wallets open. Families enjoy lunch and a bevy of kids play soccer on the grass, volleyball on the beach, make sandcastles, or swim.
When we see little towns such as Ballina struggling to attract the tourist dollar it seems so ludicrous to kow-tow to a cranky miser who knew damn well where they were planning to live.
There are so few family-friendly venues for live music that attracts such a diverse group of people; we do not get to enjoy it as often as we like, but always bring our out-of-town guests for a very enjoyable outing.
In the past I have had family fly up just for the day to celebrate a day in the sunshine at a Shawsy Sunday lunch.
I have taken my parents along, who thoroughly enjoyed it. It was this weekend we discover it shall never be as it was.
My family, who often ride our bikes down for a bit of Sunday fun, took guests from Sydney and other places out for lunch and tunes to the famous event.
We were left so very disappointed and dismayed at how bloody minded this decision has been.
Perhaps the bitter fun police should have bought opposite the graveyard: dead silence there, apart from the occasional seance, random shagging or drug deal.
Time for our community to stand up to these silly noisy minority of cranky fools and misery guts.
Awesome letter!