Specialists for home investment, business or motor vehicle lending. Specialist Labour Hire Providers Phone: 08 8671 2450 www.mortgageforce.com.au Fax: 08 8671 0850 Thursday, November 24, 2005 Your Community Newspaper Ph: (08) 8671 2683 www.themonitor.com.au Fax: (08) 8671 2843 Out & International About STOP PRESS: Dinner New Community Board Announced Page 11 More information - Pages 16 & 17 Page 3 Safety reminder for students ROXBY DOWNS…Metropolitan Fire Services joined Roxby RoadSafe and local emergency serv- ices to host the RAAP program for Year 11 students at Roxby Downs Area School this week. RAAP is a high-impact motor vehicle accident demonstration and DVD designed to make students aware of the implications of unsafe road practices. Former Roxby Downs Area School student and MFS fire fighter Troy Clements spoke with current RDAS students about the need to learn responsible driving habits. “We’re working with the local emergency services to raise awareness of the dangers of driving inap- propriately,” Mr Clements told The Monitor. “We want these students to understand the respon- sibilities they have when they get behind the wheel. “Up here, higher speeds with highway driving, live- stock on the roads and fatigue are all a real danger for local drivers.” The RAAP presentation included the mock rescue of ‘victim’ Alison Lane from a vehicle donated by BHP Billiton’s emergency services, which was cut open by local SES and CFS volunteers. MFS fire fighters and local emergency services both TTA-61818-5 TTA-146669 donated their time for the demonstration, which was sponsored by motor vehicle insurer AAMI. With Christmas holidays and all the travelling Is your bank taking you for a ride? associated with them looming, local businesses Get a free home loan health check with and The Monitor hope to highlight the need to Mortgage Choice. drive safely on our regional roads. A Mortgage Choice consultant will be visiting Roxby Downs on November 25, 26 and 27. In the hopes of making some lucky reader’s Appointments can be made through Christmas travel a little less stressful, The Moni- DEMONSTRATIONS DISCUSSIONS…Former Roxby Downs Area Garry Baker Building on tor is giving away two prizes of $1000 and $500 School student and MFS fire fighter Troy Clements discusses the 8671 1353 to alleviate your holiday fuel bill. recent RAAP high-impact motor vehicle accident demonstration Working in partnership with local business! Turn to Page 23, for your chance to win The with current students Alison Lane, Josh Bishop and Roxby GARRY BAKER BUILDING Monitor’s ‘fuel fund’. RoadSafe president Mark Dalgleish. PTY LTD OPINION Letters to the Editor All ‘letters to the editor’ must be signed and dated. Faxes and emails must include a contact number and The Monitor reserves the right to edit letters according to legal obligations and space restrictions. Censorship issues raised Reporter refutes vet’s claims Aldinga LJ Hooker 8556 5249 What is art? Dear Editor, Dear Editor, Andamooka Health Services 8672 7087 Dear Editor, I was disgusted the other day when i walked into the art The letter in the October 13 edition of The Monitor from Andamooka Opal Showroom 8672 7007 At the moment, the Outback Art gallery - not due to the supposedly “offensive” piece on Dr Andrew Melville-Smith demands a response. Andamooka Primary School 8672 7018 Gallery is currently hosting an display, but rather a sign that “warned” viewers that A number of claims he makes about my report in The Andamooka Support Service 8672 7238 contents of the art may offend some viewers. exhibition by local youth - which some people view as con- Sunday Mail about cat management at Roxby Downs need Aussie Home Loans 0419 828 166 I looked at these art pieces (including my own) and yes, troversial. to be addressed. some were confronting, but isn’t art meant to be so? Beenham Building 8671 1234 For us, at the art gallery, art pro- I stand by my report 100 per cent and take umbrage to Ben Hall Removals & Storage 0427 716 173 One piece caught my eye not due to its creativity or vides an opportunity to promote the slur on my reputation by Dr Andrew Melville-Smith’s Birdsville Hotel (07) 4656 3244 originality but more because it was behind a pin board. ideas, concepts and discussion letter, and his claim that it was “poorly researched” and Broadspectrum 8671 2450 At first I thought this was a way to get people to look within our community and the “sensational”. more closely until I was told that some residents were world as a whole. Capital Corp 0421 911 228 My commitment to research was exhibited by the fact offended by its content. We also recognise the commu- that I drove 6.5 hours from Adelaide to Roxby Downs Career Employment Group 8671 3033 It is simply a woman giving birth. nity’s right to choose which with a photographer to speak to the community and offi- Clare Valley Physio 8842 1288 Yes it is confronting, yes it is in your face but it is there images it wants to view. cials in person about the issue of cat controls and a po- Cowell Electric 8671 0018 for a purpose. As a result of several complaints tential ban. Desert Springs Church 0427 663 033 Some say that their children may have nightmares but from local parents who felt that Importantly, Dr Melville-Smith failed to point out that Elders Streaky Bay 8626 1298 my question to these people is “What do your children some of the images in the gal- the suggestion of a ban on cats is written in black and Elsewhere Hotel 8675 7781 watch on TV or play on their computer?” lery were not suitable for their white in the Community Plan, drawn up by Roxby Downs children, we partitioned off cer- Council and available on the internet. Enfield Furniture 8821 2311 There is more violence and confronting images in an tain images to allow those resi- In the Environment Plan section, Goal 7.3 reads: “in- Eyebus 8671 2001 episode of ‘Zoids’ or ‘The Simpsons’ than in this art dents a ‘choice’. piece. vestigate the appropriate procedures, impacts and prac- Glendambo Outback Resort 8672 1030 At the Outback Art Gallery, we What is it about this natural occurrence that has every- ticality of introducing a by-law to ban future pets that Glendambo Mobil Service Station 8672 1092 support all artists’ needs to ex- are a danger to the environment”. one scared? press themselves and their view Home Loan Superstore 1800 089 495 It explains in the body of the report that this could in- Next door to this piece is a dead child in a coffin yet no of the world through their art. Hytorc 0412 828 060 clude cats, rabbits and ferrets. one has censored that piece of art. We recognise that youth, espe- Ian’s Great Western Hotel 8642 2781 In my story, I canvassed the views of those with an inter- I was of the feeling that people had open minds in this cially, needs a voice of its own Innamincka Trading Post 0418 322 091 21st Century. Clearly I was wrong. People are more in today’s confusing and often est in feral cat management, as well as cat owners and Dr Johncor Transport 0419 601 980 closed minded now than ever. violent world and we hope that Melville-Smith — who, it must be noted, has been sell- ing cats and other animals from his veterinary clinic which Johnston Withers 8231 1110 the Roxby Downs community All I want to ask is what next? This exhibition is by doubles as a pet shop. Lavericks Engineering 8671 0404 local Year 12 artists. These people are the leaders of will continue to choose to sup- port local youth and their art. In total, I interviewed and spoke with about 13 people LeCornu 8292 3309 our future…why are we holding them back? Jessica McKinnon, Laurence Duggan, on both sides of the issue. Leigh Creek & Regional VIC 8675 2723 Roxby Downs. Cultural Precinct Director. The overriding view was that something needed to be Lifeplan Funds Management 8236 4763 done to stop cats decimating the environment. Lin Andrews Real Estate 8671 2000 A number of people I spoke to supported a ban on future LJ Hooker Kadina / Wallaroo 8821 3666 Got something to say? Email [email protected]. cats being brought to the town. LJ Hooker Port Vincent / Minlaton 8852 1800 I interviewed the council administrator Bill Boehm, who Marree Aboriginal School 8675 8358 said he believed there was strong support for a ban in the MGA Insurance 8632 6281 town. Mortgage Choice 0407 861 273 This, too, I included in my article. Mortgage Force 13 14 97 I also included the views of cat owners who did not sup- Mt Dare Homestead 8670 7835 port a ban, and local environmentalist John Read who believed the best way to address the problem was tougher Nacos Credit Union 8671 1755 cat controls. Native Animal Network 8671 0573 The story stated in the second paragraph that residents Olympic Dam Operations 8671 8888 had suggested the ban and in no way, shape or form inti- Outback Fringe Festival 8671 2001 mated it was an official proposal or foregone conclusion. Outback Landscaping & Supplies 8671 0131 The story quoted Mr Boehm as saying this idea would be Paint Supplies of SA 8347 7171 investigated — along with other reforms. Phil Hoffmann Travel 8671 2333 All this information is correct, factual, and balanced by views from both sides. Pink Roadhouse, Oodnadatta 8670 7822 Port Augusta Public Library 8641 9151 So how is a story based on facts sensational journalism? Port Lincoln Pools & Spas 0428 826 550 As Dr Melville-Smith has indicated, the Environment Minister John Hill has not yet acted on recommenda- Quality Staff 8338 4999 tions made to it in 2003 on cat controls.