I would like to say how much I appreciate having a local paper restored to our area and feature articles that reflect our community.
Over the past several months I have written to the councillors of Melba Ward and Yarra City Council highlighting concerns about the deteriorating condition of the trees and vegetation in Burnley Park, and requesting the council provide them with water and mulch.
Sadly there has been no action, and like residents of Acacia Place (Yarra effort plants seeds of friendship, IER, March 23), I have taken to doing what I can, including getting mulch from Clifton Hill and watering nearby trees and vegetation.
With the increase in population in Richmond it would be reasonable to expect that open spaces are properly cared for as a vital asset to the wellbeing of residents as well as natural habitat for wildlife.
Victoria Chipperfield,
Palmer St, Richmond
Failing on basic needs
The ability of Yarra City Council to fulfil basic tasks such as rubbish collection and road and pavement maintenance must be seriously questioned.
It is evident that road and pavement maintenance has been ignored over many years.
Some within the council, such as the Greens, seem not to be interested in such trivialities.
A case in point is the section of paving along Barkly Ave from Stawell St to Adam St, which is in very poor condition but has now been marked out for tree-planting in a number of places.
It is already extremely difficult during busy traffic times to drive safely out of Stawell St, We hardly need trees to block our view and there has been scant, if any, public consultation. It is so lopsided to plant trees and ignore the poor paving conditions.
I raised this recently at a council meeting for it to be all but dismissed out of hand.
Dorothy James,
Stawell St, Burnley
Teach our children well
Thank you for the new magazine, Inner East Review. It is just what we need to bond our area.
I agree with the editor's view on what is vital for our students (From the editor, IER April 6), the teaching of basic maths skills, spelling, phonics, local history and culture. I hope it happens right away. We need to raise the educational standards and provide our children with a sound foundation in life.
Martha Rogers, Richmond
