A very kind act
We have been invited by Chapel Care to a lunch tomorrow, provided very generously by Carlos Saliba from Cafe Victor. I wanted to take the opportunity to give you a brief snapshot of our story, and publicly honour this man's kindness and generosity.
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We received heartbreaking news earlier this year at our 20-week ultrasound that our baby girl had a severe condition that was causing significant damage to her brain, and that she would be unlikely to survive.
We spent the next tumultuous weeks travelling back and forth to Melbourne to attend numerous specialist appointments, receiving more and more bad news. At 27 weeks, our precious baby girl, Estelle, was stillborn.
We feel so honoured and blessed to have been invited to take part in the lunch at Cafe Victor. The care and generosity shown to us by family and friends over this tough season has been a wonderful blessing. But this act of generosity by Carlos Saliba at Cafe Victor, who is a stranger to us, is truly remarkable.
Thank you, and God bless you Carlos.
Ash and Kelly Stokes, Wodonga
Some better ideas
Noting that Wodonga’s councillors voted themselves a 2.4 per cent pay rise recently (unanimously it would appear), here’s where the money should have gone:
- Wodonga Band Hall. Noting the decaying state of the current hall and the extension to Havelock Street now has a western dual lane for South St stopping short of the hall. No doubts what the intention is here.
- Wodonga Historical Society, volunteer run and preserving the districts important history. The current building is unsafe (no fire alarms) for its volunteers who supply their own equipment and spend their own money to keep the society running.
- Baranduda Scout Hall. Having been a scout in my youth it is most disappointing to see that a 100 member scout troop (excellent numbers for this day and age) has had toilets out of action for 2 years , no disabled toilets and no serviceable kitchen to generate hire income for functions. Surely this is a breach of any health and safety standards where young people meet as part of their common interest. Now they have worked hard to raise $2000 to try and upgrade this building.
Perhaps the current council considers city bands, historical societies and the scouting movement to be passé and irrelevant. Can someone explain why the residents voted in the last election? For no positive change of course. Then again “at the end of the day they like getting the money too much”.
Paul Upton, Wodonga
A meerkat knows best
I have followed with interest and dismay the sorry saga of the proposed compost facility in Howlong.
The indecision and handling of the matter is disgraceful – so much so that some residents have openly expressed their feelings and frustrations by hanging slogans on fences etc. Certainly the questions raised regarding early Council meetings and subsequent minutes has only clouded the issue.
The harmony between some residents and local Council is being seriously challenged. One would have to guess that the push for the Howlong facility is ego-driven, politically motivated, or pursued on a financial incentive – or perhaps all three.
The figures quoted suggest that 75 per cent to 80 per cent of compost is collected in the Albury-Wodonga area. If the majority of pick-up is local to Albury then simple business logic and educated common sense would dictate that the disposal facility should be built close to where the action is – not some 30 kilometres away. As the famous meerkat says in his ads, simples.
Henry Hopkins, Howlong
Letter of the week
The winner of the letter of the week is D Corbett of Albury. You can collect your prize from the offices of The Border Mail at 1 McKoy Street, Wodonga. Send your letters to letters@bordermail.com.au.