Lorraine Cobcroft, Pottsville.
Reece Byrnes should not be indulging a vocal minority who have no genuine interest in the welfare of senior men and are ignoring the safety, security and access issues presented by putting a semi-industrial facility for senior men on an isolated sports field.
Why isn’t Mr Byrnes supporting a demand that the Men’s Shed pursue the correct process for securing a suitable site by applying to Crown Lands as per the recommendations of the Australian Men’s Shed Association, Crown Lands and the Council’s General Manager?
The Men’s Shed has created the site problem. Why? Many members want to apply for a more suitable site. Why is the committee barring any effort to do what is in the best interests of the men, the community and the environment? Why is the community not being told that the Men’s Shed has never applied for a site in the correct manner?
It simply isn’t true to say there is no other site available for a Men’s Shed. There may well be a far superior option, if only the PADMS committee would stop obstructing and show respect for the community and those men who recognize the deficiencies of the Black Rocks site and the potential of other potential sites.
Council is considering two possible options. Most Shedders wanted a more central location that facilitates social integration and community inclusion.
Mr Byrnes needs to hold off and support a demand that the PADMS make proper application for a Crown Land site and wait for the outcome of Council’s investigations before jumping to baseless conclusions that there are no other sites. And it’s time the community learned the truth about the issue. We all support the Men’s Shed, but the Black Rocks site is the wrong place for it, and it’s not in the interests of men, the community or the koalas to allow them to use that site.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
