Residents being ignored
After reading Norm Boyle’s letter to the editor (BDN, 26/6), we find ourselves absolutely dismayed by SAA's apparent total lack of consideration for the plight of local residents in this scenario.
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This is evidenced by your flippant dismissal of the concerns raised by Ian Gordon in his letter of June 12.
All residents living in proximity to Frogs Hollow will absolutely be severely affected, should SAA's development proceed.
This is a fact we feel is being seriously ignored here by the proponents.
You fail to mention that several hundred residents will have to put up with diminished lifestyles as a result of the continuous drone produced by your aircraft.
Residents currently living in proximity to other such facilities around Australia have reported a serious loss in their quality of life and health following the commencement of pilot training on airfields near their homes.
You do however, go to great lengths to point out that when fully functioning, there will be a total of over 200 new jobs created.
Nonetheless there is a failure to mention how many of these jobs are to be part time or full time nor how this employment will be operating.
Would you be kind enough to inform us what percentage of job candidates will be drawn from within the shire, what percentage are to be sourced from other parts of Australia and finally how many from China?
We only ask, as locals are curious to know where these lucky job applicants will be coming from and why they are far more deserving of employment than local residents are of retaining their amenity and health.
Something we do agree with is that recreational flying has taken place at Frogs Hollow for many years.
Its influence on local lifestyles to date has amounted to a model plane club and the very occasional plane flying overhead, generally on a weekend.
Non-invasive to say the least.
What you are proposing is a completely different ball game altogether.
From your figures, SAA plans to have up to 10 “squadrons” of 36 student pilots each on site at any given time, with each pilot logging 40 hours flight time.
That equates to some 14,400 hours of circuit flying above our homes during that period and involves making approaches to the runway, touching down and then applying power to take-off again.
Constantly, repetitively, incessantly.
You put great store in the millions of export dollars that supposedly will be spent in the Bega Shire when fully operational.
It is important for everyone to realise that any money that may or may not be spent here can only come at a high personal cost in terms of financial, health and amenity to long term residents living within the sphere of influence of this proposed development.
It would also be worth noting, that there is no guarantee that any profits made from this madness will a) be used within the shire and b) necessarily even stay in Australia.
We sincerely hope that all councillors will, in this instance, give the full support to affected residents by denying this proposal's Development Application should it ever proceed to approval.
Jeff Smith and Wal Mullard
Wolumla Residents Action Group