“Managed fauna areas are for property owners to manage damage being caused by fauna in certain areas without requiring a licence.

“Regulation 104 outlines this for kangaroos and states in part:

• (2) A person must not take a kangaroo of a species specified in Schedule 4 unless:
• (a) the kangaroo is causing, or is reasonably expected to cause, damage to an agricultural activity or related agricultural infrastructure;
• (b) the taking is by means of a firearm and,
• (c) the kangaroo is shot in accordance with the Code of Practice for Non-Commercial Purposes.

“Under the Biodiversity Conservation Regulations, Schedule 4: Managed fauna,

Division 2: Kangaroos Item 3 includes Toodyay local government district within the managed fauna areas for Western Grey Kangaroos.”

The above is quoted from the Wildlife Protection Branch of the Parks and Wildlife Service in the WA Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.

I would urge Mr Foley to read the last sentence of Rosemary Madacsi’s letter in last month’s Herald – “check the facts”.

I encourage businesses to capitalise on this as people heed the State Government’s call to Wander out Yonder.

Remember, it is the experience that visitors crave and they take that experience home and share it with family and friends.

Most visitors are chasing something a bit country and something a bit unique, with authenticity, and always with customer service thrown in.

Yeah, yeah, sometimes there might be a visitor that can be just a tad annoying and that’s fine, don’t sweat it.

I say this because I was gob smacked to witness a shopkeeper complaining to someone about a visiting group while I was in their shop. Please don’t.

For the rest of our wonderful shopkeepers who I know provide long hours, endless smiles, hospitality galore and proudly show off and promote what our fabulous town has to offer – a huge thank you.

Yep, I have said it before, but we are the ‘next best thing’.

He asked if I had been in the front yard loading wood on my ute a while ago.

I said I had, and then he said he had driven past and seen me, so he went out and cut a load of wood.

He asked if he could bring it in.

I was overwhelmed.

He introduced himself as Dave and neatly stacked the wood, offering to cut it into smaller pieces.

All I could say was “thank you”, which seemed so inadequate.

‘Thank you Dave, for being such a warm and caring person.’

As for capitalism verses socialism, society is about taking the best of both.

Unfortunately, the present system favours big business and the rich over the poor at the cost of the environment and climate.

It has also resulted in Australian Aboriginal heritage being destroyed.

Recently, 83 millionaires from seven countries signed a petition to tax the wealthy to make a fairer system – that alone says something.

He was sacked six months later and banned from Toodyay’s busy ambulance depot for making allegedly “disparaging remarks” about St John Ambulance emergency response policies at an inter-agency emergency services forum in Northam last July.

Local ambulance volunteers were ignored when they raised similar issues with St John Ambulance administrators several times previously.

WA Nationals MP Shane Love told State Parliament last November that he was “shocked and dismayed” by the sacking and that St John Ambulance WA should apologise to Charlie and “re-examine the way it speaks to volunteers”.

“Charlie raised the same things that we have heard from ambulance volunteers right across the state, from Albany to Karratha,” Mr Love told the Legislative Assembly.

“St John needs to understand that there is a view among many vollies across a number of districts that they are not valued and respected by St John.”

It is not the first time St John Ambulance has treated the Toodyay community with disrespect.

Charlie was previously banned from entering the Toodyay ambulance depot in 2018 for an alleged misdemeanour and ordered to tell other local ambulance volunteers that he was on holidays.

He was treated like a criminal before being reinstated and re-elected by Toodyay members as their local sub-branch chair.

Charlie has provided exemplary service to Toodyay’s St John Ambulance service for nearly four decades, including helping to raise funds for, building the town’s modern ambulance depot and frequently donating his time and equipment to help and improve local emergency response capabilities.

St John Ambulance administrators showed no respect by sacking a member who, day or night, was often the first responder to emergency calls to provide comfort, support and care to sick and injured people waiting for an ambulance to arrive.

It is interesting to note that the St John Ambulance Wheatbelt regional manager in Northam who supported our chairperson’s sacking is no longer employed by the organisation.

I myself have been a member of the Toodyay sub-centre for 40 years, including 10 years as chairperson.

I sincerely hope St John Ambulance WA has more concern in the future for volunteers and their families, and listens to their voices.

An honest opinion may not be flattering nor popular and it may be strongly critical but it should be based on fact.

Too many comments circulating in the community are based on rumour, subjective opinions and contain sweeping statements or they target individuals.

We each have a responsibility to contribute positively to this community.
Think first about where you received your information and your reason to speak.

Is the information factual?

Ask a question if unsure, rather than state an opinion as a fact.

Ask yourself before commenting if this furthers your understanding, clears a misconception or is factually correct?

Perhaps he could stage a protest about the Tiananmen Square massacre of peace-loving Chinese citizens 30 years ago by the Chinese Communist Party.

He could report back to The Herald on his experiences which would be much more enlightening than his current diatribe. (no prizes for guessing why reporting back would be short lived.)

Joe, hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times (capitalism/free society).

Good times create weak men and weak men create hard times (socialism/oppression).
“In the end, we will not remember the words of the enemies of freedom but the silence of our friends” – US human rights activist Dr Martin Luther King Jnr (1929-68).