CONGRATULATIONS to everyone involved in organising last month’’s Toodyay Agricultural Show.

It was a triumph.

It obviously took an enormous amount of planning and hard work to create such an interesting, entertaining day.

So, thank you, your effort is much appreciated.

And to top off a fantastic day, the fireworks were wonderful.

Heather Blackwell
Dumbarton

THE POTENTIAL mining of Julimar forest and clearing of roadside vegetation for road improvements are just two environmental issues facing the Toodyay district.

It is important to understand the underlying causes of these challenges.

Between 1990 and 2015 the population of Perth grew from 1.19 million to 2.04 million people, an increase of nearly one million – effectively doubling in size.

During that time the spatial extent of the city increased by 45 per cent or 320sq/km.

Peter Cook
 (former Toodyay resident) Queensland

JUST a note to let you know Genes&Jeans had a very pleasing response to a short burst of advertising in The Toodyay Herald when we advertised our Artificial Insemination Service for cattle earlier in the year.

G&J now has several new contacts and also some returning clients who were not aware that I’m working again, ably assisted by my apprentice Jeremy Jeans.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to advertise our services and thank you to the lovely people of Toodyay who read The Herald in great detail.

Jean Witcombe
Chidlow

CONGRATULATIONS to the readers of The Toodyay Herald.

The Spectacle Round-Up has been a spectacular success.

More than 300 spectacles have been donated from readers and others to be cleaned and repaired where necessary by fellows in Serco establishments then sent on to the Fred Hollows Foundation and others.

Thank you.

Save these old specs and in time I will remind you again.

We don’t require the cases, just the glasses.

Patricia de Soto-Phillips
Toodyay

HENRI and I wish to say a big thankyou to the Moondyne Men for coming to our rescue when we needed help to move into our new house.

We are very grateful as at the time Henri had just come out of hospital, I was not well and we were unable to move our heavy tools, pot plants and stands.

The Moondyne Men came in force – trailers, utes, big smiles and a huge willingness to help us.

They jumped in and the job was done – we are extremely grateful to receive such help.

Family and friends from Toodyay also helped with our move, so a big thankyou to them also.

Toodyay shows its strength again in community members helping each other.

Charmeine and Henri Duri
Nunile

OVERHEARD conversation in the Post Office of a couple of Hi-Vis-wearing hard-working chaps:

“What’s going on when the rates are going up, rubbish collection costs up and it looks like we will lose the Community Resource Centre.

‘Then the councillors have voted themselves a 17.4 per cent pay rise and administration staff are to get a 15 per cent pay rise.

‘Our nurses can’t get an increase like that, and I couldn’t dream of a pay rise of just five per cent.

‘When money’s tight and costs have blown out, saving should come from the top.”

And I agree – for a shire burdened by debt, hefty pay increases are not the solution.

Kerry Gregory
Dewars Pool

MY HUSBAND and I were visiting elderly friends in Toodyay recently when a huge semi-trailer truck roared past our cafe table, seemingly only inches from my elbow though in fact it was a couple of metres away – still way too close for comfort.

The noise was deafening, and heaven help anyone who may have stepped into its path to cross the road from behind the umbrellas and parked cars.

What’s going on?

My friend said she read in The Toodyay Herald that land has already been bought for a new truck bypass behind the school but the plan was scrapped because people in another part of the shire didn’t want it.

Where does that leave elderly Butterly Cottages residents who have to risk their lives to go shopping in gophers, not to mention children walking to school?

Surely road safety must be the priority.

It is upsetting to think that old folk, children and mums pushing prams have to play chicken with huge trucks every day, right in the centre of your lovely town.

Chris Wilson
Armadale

WHAT a wonderful entry statement for visitors coming into town on the Bindi Bindi Toodyay Road.

There were 13 potholes on a 10km section.

Large trees were either reduced to long stumps or destroyed completely and the remains left there.

Drains were placed too close to the road with one higher than the surface, two together and the road was patched up in one spot.

Why was this disgusting mess considered necessary?

I suppose contractors were paid without the job being checked.

And guess who’s going to pay for this environmental disaster?

Bob Kermode
Coondle

I WAS hanging out a load of washing in my backyard recently when I heard what sounded like a large swarm of bees.

I looked up and was surprised instead to see a small drone with a camera hovering directly overhead.

I live on a 5-acre (2ha) bush block where the nearest house is about 70 metres away.

Name and address withheld

THE DAY started out normal and then I received a phone text message with a screen shot of a media release about the closure of Toodyay’s Alma Beard Medical Centre.

When I got home, the first thing my partner Simon said to me was “don’t reply to all the Facebook comments” because he was worried that it might be too upsetting for me.

I read all the comments, replied to one and noticed one thing in common about the Shire of Toodyay.

This may be the only time in history that I will stand up and say that this time “it is not the shire’s fault”.

Sean Byron
Toodyay