CONSIDERING Aboriginals did not have flags pre white settlement, does Brendan Paterson (Euroa Gazette 24 Dec) intend to fly all the flags of all the countries' migrants to tell their stories of ethnic cleansing, religious persecution, antisemitism, and racism?

We are all Australians whose people have fought under one Australian flag.

To have anything else is to go against the referendum, which will divide us by race.

Sandra Morris, Seymour

Australian plants preferred for main drag

I DEPLORE Strathbogie Shire authorising the planting of Chinese trees into the Euroa streetscape.

The shire have the opportunity to give Euroa a uniqueness and a character of its own by selecting some of the 25,000 plus Australian plants; instead of that they choose to make Euroa look like some kind of second-guessed, dilapidated version of downtown Beijing.

This is certainly un-Australian, if not downright Marxist.

Ron Horrigan, Euroa

Double decision disappointment for Terry

I'D like to express my deep disappointment at council's decision to reverse the previous council’s excellent move away from Australia Day as 26 January.

This recent decision just makes me aware of the total lack of empathy a majority of Australians have towards the first peoples of this country and to the lasting effects of colonisation that they still live with.

There is absolutely nothing sacred to us whitefellas about the January 26 date, unless you really enjoy celebrating the destruction of a culture.

Sadly, that's all I can believe it’s about.

Shame on us all.

Terry Frewin, Boho

Changing chairs at EuroaConnect

I WRITE to advise that my term as chair of EuroaConnect concluded at the end of 2024, and I am pleased to advise that Jim Shovelton will lead our organisation into what promises to be a busy and productive future.

Jim is very well known in Euroa and across the wider community and along with his wife Ann, operates a sheep property at Creighton’s Creek.

He is an agronomist by profession and serves as a director and senior consultant with Meridian Agriculture.

Jim has been an active member of EuroaConnect since its formation in late 2020.

His other community involvements include nine years’ service as a director and then chair of the board of Euroa Health over the period when the organisation successfully applied for Commonwealth funding for the development of Granite Hills, Euroa’s 75 bed aged care facility.

Jim’s leadership and advocacy skills equip him well to lead our representation of local community needs and aspirations.

I will be continuing as an active member of EuroaConnect but as outgoing chair want to take this opportunity to thank the Euroa community for the encouragement and co-operation offered in support of our activities over the last four years.

John Simpson, Euroa

Stop locking the public out of our national parks

THE Australian Environment Foundation (AEF) is a leading environmental watchdog in monitoring events surrounding Australia’s land, waterways and atmosphere.

In line with its goals the AEF has released a report entitled ‘The Victorian Government’s Public Land Give-Away’ outlining measures that may ultimately lead to the end of public land in Victoria.

I authored the report and am a researcher and lobbyist, with decades of experience in forest management and bushfire recovery.

My PhD was on the recovery of Marysville after the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires.

Public Crown land, freely open to all citizens, has been a feature of the Australian landscape since the earliest days of British settlement, especially in Victoria.

All that is about to change.

Over the last five years the Victorian government has been handing over national parks to Aboriginal organisations in what is known as ‘Aboriginal Title’.

These organisations are essentially private corporations run for the benefit of their Aboriginal members, not the public.

The land becomes freehold title, with the new owners having considerable but as yet undefined scope to change its usage.

At the very least access to the forests may become subject to the new owners’ permission.

The Victorian Environment Assessment Council, along with the newly created ‘Eminent Panel for Community Engagement and Great Outdoors Taskforce’ have an $11 million budget to carry out investigations over the entire eastern half of Victoria to see where new parks and reserves can be created, and placed under Aboriginal management and/or ownership.

Read the full report The Victorian Government’s Public Land Give-Away at https://www.australianenvironment.org/reports to find out what’s really going on with public land use and land ownership in Australia.

Dr David Barton, Australian Environment Foundation