Editorials
From "Maple Street Co-op News", Oct/Nov 2007
By Leigh Robshaw
Hi folks. Fierce debate continues to rage over whether we should have
an 18-hole golf course on the Maleny Community Precinct.
With the golf course will come more houses and more people than our
town is equipped to handle, and a significant change in our lifestyle.
Despite public perception, there's no guarantee of an aquatic centre
if the golf course plan is approved, and most of the community will
be excluded from a good portion of the Maleny Community Precinct
because they're not golfers.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), only six per
cent of Australians aged 15 years or over play golf, with almost four
times as many males as females participating. Most golfers are aged
55-64.
Believe it or not, golf is nowhere to be seen in the ABS statistics
on children's participation in sports. Soccer is the top sport for boys
and netball for girls, with swimming being the second most popular sport
for both boys and girls*.
Maleny's youth desperately needs recreational and cultural facilities,
as well as new job opportunities, and this should be a council priority.
The cutting-edge Obi Obi Parklands plan offers all of this. Importantly,
it excludes no-one and is flexible and sustainable, being built around
a triple bottom line concept. This unique plan would be an asset to
our town, a drawcard that all members of our community could be proud
of, now and for generations to come...and it's within our grasp.
Leigh
*Source: www.abs.gov.au
[From "Maple Street Co-op News", October/November 2007; published
by The Maple Street Co-operative Society Ltd, 37 Maple Street, Maleny,
Qld 4552, Australia, tel (07) 5494 2088, email maplest.co-op@serv.net.au,
website http://www.maplestreetco-op.com.au]