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Chinderah greyhound protest
By Yvonne Gardiner
PROTESTERS CHANTED “no new track” and passing drivers sounded car horns in support when greyhound owners and animal welfare groups gathered at Corowa Park, Chinderah, on Saturday, March 11.
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Their aim is to stop the construction of a new greyhound track at Chinderah. While no development application is currently before Tweed Shire Council, the track’s proponents, Tweed Heads Coursing Club, are determined to go ahead.
In August 2020, the club bought a 32-hectare parcel of land at Chinderah for $2 million.
Last month, club secretary Stephen McGrath was quoted in an Australian Racing Greyhound publication as remaining “optimistic” that the Chinderah “centre of excellence” would be approved.
Mr McGrath has submitted a proposal for the complex to Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW), which was said to be in favour of the project.
It has been described as the largest track design in Australia, with a circumference of 712 metres.
The state-of-the-art facility will service a massive region for south-east Queensland and Northern Rivers trainers, with the grandstand to cater for 700 people.
Anti-greyhound racing groups such as the Animal Justice Party (AJP), Friends of the Hound (FOTH), Animal Liberation, The Greens, and the Animal Welfare League have all protested against the track.
“Opposition is pretty strong,” Mr McGrath told Australian Racing Greyhound. “It’s frustrating, but you can only be like the boy with the wheelbarrow — just keep pushing.”
Animal Justice Party candidate for Tweed in the upcoming NSW election, Susie Hearder, said the proposed track would be impacted by Tweed Shire Council’s koala plan of management, vegetation would need to be removed, and South Sea Islander graves could be disturbed by the development. The site is also on a floodplain.
“It has previously been reported in the media that there are plans to build two tracks at Chinderah, including a new circular track which have been proven to be the most lethal of all, causing many injuries and deaths to the gentle greyhounds that are forced to participate in this gambling sport,” Ms Hearder said.
“And of course a new greyhound facility is only going to contribute to gambling problems in the area, when everyone is already struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.
“There are already 27 greyhound racing tracks in NSW; we sure don’t need another one in Chinderah.”
Mr McGrath was invited by The Weekly to comment on the protest and the progress of the new track.
He said any comments would be made after the club’s next board meeting early in April.
At Saturday’s protest, FOTH founder and president Lisa White said greyhounds were dying, on the track and off, and this would not end until dog racing was halted.
FOTH has rescued and rehomed more than 800 greyhounds since 2002.
“After 20 years of the physical, emotional and financial burden of rescuing greyhounds from the racing industry, it is demoralising and heartbreaking to have the possibility of a death track built in our own backyard,” Ms White told the 80-strong crowd.
“Our volunteers work tirelessly to promote greyhounds and find loving homes for them as family companions. We advocate adoption, not destruction. Pets, not bets.
“Greyhounds are overbred, raced, caged, doped, injured, routinely discarded and killed.
“For many years, we’ve listened to the greyhound racing industry spruik welfare as a priority.
“Rather than protect the dogs, this focus has been more about protecting their industry.
“Let’s be real, the majority of people involved in the industry are in it to make money.
“Every time a trainer puts a dog around a track, it is at risk of injury, often catastrophic injury, and becoming yet another ‘wastage’ statistic.”
Ms White told the crowd that greyhound racing had been banned in many countries and was facing certain decline in others.
“It is inappropriate and unacceptable to have taxpayer dollars propping up an industry which exists by breeding and subsequently killing large numbers of dogs,” she said.
The Tweed Heads Coursing Club’s former Border Park greyhound track and trots venue was sold to the Gold Coast Airport for $16 million.
A development application for the planned $15 million Chinderah greyhound racing complex was presented to Tweed Shire Council a year ago and subsequently withdrawn.
Tweed Mayor Chris Cherry said she had not seen details of any proposal for a track but, as a general rule, animal welfare was a priority for her and the council.
“Any place proposing to use live animals for sport in a new venture would be subject to very strict licensing requirements,” she said.
Greyhound racing bodies in NSW came together last month (February) for the first Race Injury Reduction Summit, to collaborate on the development of an injury reduction action plan.
Greyhound Clubs NSW president Shayne Stiff said the industry was focused on continually improving for the prosperity of the sport.
“Any plan that prioritises the safety of greyhounds will only benefit the industry,” he said.
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Letter of the Week CONGRATULATIONS
SHARYN RUSSELL
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Support our new school
I am honestly aghast to read the constant media bashing by your publication plus other online forums of our brand-new public school, Murwillumbah Learning Community High School (MLC).
The 2023 foundation year of teachers, students, leaders and parents are currently making history. They are only seven weeks into a journey that they are still navigating and are trying to create and promote a culture based on core guiding values to set our Murwillumbah children up for success in the real world.
A small community like Murwillumbah should be rallying around the public teachers and their local public school.
Many of our community are the product of public schools, and it’s where the children of our community learn valuable life skills both in the classroom and in navigating the positives plus challenges of life within friendships and daily school life. School is a place where children get to practice and hone the skills they need to navigate life in the real world, let’s give them a chance.
I applaud our teachers who are going above and beyond day in and day out to create rich and innovative classroom experiences to inspire our local children.
I applaud the teachers who go above and beyond every day to connect with and nurture our children as they settle into new routines and develop relationships in a new school environment.
I encourage our community to focus on the many positive aspects that a new and innovative school such as MLC brings to our local community.
A high school of 733 students is not mega by any means. It’s a school that has decent numbers and is able to offer broader subject selection, wider circles of friends, greater sporting and cultural experiences and more teachers.
Let’s start backing and championing
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our local public school.
I look forward to seeing your paper use it’s unique position in our local community to help to change the narrative surrounding our local public school.
Kate Louisa Martin, Murwillumbah Rodeo concerns
In regards to Tweed Shire Councillors’ concerns of animal cruelty during rodeos.
I can speak from my own experiences as a past member of the Australian Rough Riders Association (ARRA) in the ‘70s that cruelty is not tolerated in any form whatsoever. Riders caught doing so are disqualified as is written in the Constitution by-laws and riding rules book issued to all members of the ARRA.
No sharp or cutting objects in cinch, saddle girth or flank straps shall be permitted.
A rider can be disqualified for using sharp or locked rowels in their spurs. I used to compete in the bareback event that was referred to as being suicidal for we had no control as to where the horse was heading as it left the chute.
I had to stay on for eight seconds and I can tell you that was the longest eight seconds I’ve experienced as the buckjumper joyfully flicked me in every direction trying to dislodge me as I held onto the rigging jammed tight in my groin with one hand while the other was held in the air for balance and to comply with the rule of the event. So in fact it wasn’t the animal that suffered, it was us who found ourselves on the ground watching a pair of hooves disappear wondering what went wrong.
Neville Thompson, Murwillumbah
Rail Trail report
Visited the Murwillumbah to Crabbes Creek Northern Rivers Rail Trail on Saturday, March 4, from 7.30am to 10am.
Distance covered: 50.7km.
Calories expended: 957.
Trail blazers encountered: 300 to
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400 (guesstimate).
Age range: three to 83 years old.
Demographic: young parents with kids-approximately 30 per cent.
Individual cyclists: 20 per cent. Small and larger groups of cyclists of all ages: 40 per cent.
Joggers: five per cent.
Walkers of all ages (from a large group of three to five year olds walking up to the tunnel to oldies with day packs and walking sticks): approx five per cent
Coffees imbibed: two, both excellent (Hosanna Farmstay and Mooball Post Shop Cafe).
Visitors encountered: one bloke from Brisbane, two from Gold Coast, one woman on her second visit in two days from Currumbin.
Happy, friendly, enthusiastic people: 100 per cent.
Locals inconvenienced in any way: zero.
Cows spooked: zero.
Weather: sunny blue skies
Conclusion: what’s not to like?
Bruce Partland, Murwillumbah
Amazing Rail Trail
I feel compelled to write about the fabulous experience we had last Sunday on the Rail Trail.
We dusted off our bikes and set off from Murwillumbah to ride to the Burringbar Tunnel and back, given it had been ages since we had been on our bikes we thought this might be far enough that day.
We rode through tunnels of trees and gorgeous country landscapes, past grazing cattle and a small lake. The trees kept us cool, the track was easily negotiated and the happiness and good vibe of the people we came across on the trail was palpable.
We passed oldies and youngies, there was a dad with his two little kids on a wagon at the back of his bike, teenagers and little people on little bikes, some walkers and a dog or two, everyone had a smile and a wave as we passed them, the tunnel was amazing, with glow worms dotted here and there and tiny little bats.
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When we got through the tunnel two little kids excitedly asked us if we had seen the glow worms — they were literally jumping up and down with the fun of it all.
We have overseas relatives and we know the first thing we will recommend doing when they visit is to come for a ride on the rail trail and show them this beautiful place we call home.
The atmosphere that seemed to be created by all the people we saw that day was one of great happiness to be out there experiencing this gorgeous area, enjoying some exercise and sharing the experience with other people of all ages. A chance for a carefree escape from worldly worries, which is so beneficial for us all. The downside? No, we can’t see one. The upside? We can’t wait to go back and do the section from Stokers Siding to Mooball.
Sharyn Russell, Banora Point
Privatising Crown lands
In the lead-up to the state election, promises are being flung around of no privatisation of public assets when in fact the government unveiled its program to develop our Crown lands into housing estates just two days prior to the caretaker period. This program is to identify Crown lands across NSW to rezone for development with a 615ha Crown land site on the mid north coast to kick off the scheme. There has been zero public consultation and no process to turn over our Crown lands to development.
Local councils are required to undertake statutory public consultation to develop their ‘Local Environment Plan’ (principle planning tool), and again if they intend to change zonings of those plans. However, the government can override all the work and knowledge of local communities and rezone our Crown lands and strategic planning as they wish.
Our Crown lands are set aside on behalf of the people of NSW for a wide range of public purposes, including environment/heritage protection, recreation/sport, access to our beaches/ waterways, open space, community facilities, special events etc. Crown land is integral to our state’s diversity with areas of extremely rich biodiversity and significant wildlife habitat/ corridors, providing vital buffers protecting the health/sustainability of our waterways. Our Crown lands are home to some of the last remaining ecological communities, wetlands, threatened species, and critical habitat/linkages for our last remaining koalas.
Subsequent to the damming evidence of the Crown Land Inquiry and Auditor-General’s (A-G) findings on the sale and lease of our Crown lands, a Commissioner was appointed to independently oversee the management of our Crown lands. The Commissioner and his office were most effective in their endeavours to improve and maintain the quality of decision-making on our Crown lands in the interests of the people of NSW — but suddenly he was gone early 2022 with no reinstatement and the office disbanded. Now the mismanagement of our Crown lands is running wild with no independent oversight, and further findings of the A-G 2022 on our Crown lands of deficiencies in addressing high-risk and repeated issues, and continues to be significant deficiencies in Crown land records.
Lindy Smith, Tweed Heads History repeating?
I love history, but I really hope I am wrong with regards to it repeating itself. In 2014 to 2015 the thenNSW Labor government could not pay suppliers to hospitals for basics like bandages in under 90 days.
In 1938 the then-Liberal Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies was nicknamed Pig Iron Bob for allowing pig iron to be shipped to Japan to help in their war against China.
As history now shows, of course, they declared war on us. Should Australia cease shipments of iron ore to China?
George Kelly, Terranora
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