It is mother’s day season and as a mother
I would like to say how much I valued all my pets
once my family grew and left – such happy memories.
You may like to consider publishing this reply from
our local government authority, the Colac Otway Shire.
I like the honey-eaters squabbling in my garden now.
Unfortunately our council won’t consider adopting
a ten-year cat strategy to protect threatened species,
and their alternative would upset my neighbours.
Secondly, our town’s economy has been blasted away
by the corona virus regulations. Whatever does the
shire, or for that matter the state, suggest for our town
to reinvigorate tourism along the Great Ocean Road.
Once thriving businesses now mendicant on hand-outs?
Sorry, but the Port of Apollo Bay is not the entire game.
May I suggest the Premier and Chamber of Commerce
devise a sustainable long-term marketing strategy eg:
Visit Apollo Bay and make us your destination!
This could feature all our attractions — surf, waterfalls
sea, rivers and the beauty of the Otway rainforest;
our fine dining spots and accommodation facilities.
Stay a fortnight and explore it all for yourself.
Read up on Donald Walker’s amazing stories.
Not long ago the township rehashed its services to deal
with 5-minute lunch stops for huge tourist buses
flying along the Great Ocean Road to see the 12 apostles.
Surely we have matured since those bad days.
We need a more sustainable plan, taking advantage
of our excellent information centre on the foreshore.
We offer much more than cheap thrills and trinkets.
We offer unique beauty and opportunities for study:
-exploring healthy rainforest, waterfalls, glow worms.
We have unique plants we ignore, a botanical garden
that needs no gymnastics to recreate, just adequate
protection. What about history! We should not ignore it.
Our Greater Otway National Park; our wild and windy sea.
The elders would help do justice to the whole story.
Save the Otways for a healthy, beautiful sustainable future!