25 Oct 2017 Seymour Telegraph, Seymour VIC (General News) In THE TELEGRAPH on October 11, Labor Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes, a previous advisor to Premier Daniel Andrews, announced a $140 000 injection to Seymour Hospital from the Andrews Government. This was to offset costs for the flu season. Coincidently, this matched the extra $140 000 in electricity costs incurred by the hospital for the year. As a PR exercise, the flu season angle presents the payments in a generous way, compared with the alarming extra cost of electricity to the hospital brought on by the Andrews Government policy. What will be the extra energy costs to the many state institutions now and in the future? Dr Rob Peterson, Seymour Getting priorities right The course of a Seymour East creek winds its way under the Goulburn Valley Hwy near the Light Horse Park entrance, under Kobyboyn Rd beside the cemetery, under Delatite Rd near the abandoned school then under Wimble St before merging with Whiteheads Creek. Just as it is the right of residents and visitors to walk along public ways, so it is the Shires responsibility to provide safe pathways along town streets. In Delatite Rd there is a footbridge for pedestrians at the aforementioned creek, but Wimble St pedestrians have no such footbridge, and they must step onto the roadway proper in order to negotiate the same creek. In the possible event of a pedestrian being struck and injured by a vehicle at the Wimble St creek crossing, then a case for negligence might be made against the Mitchell Shire for failing to provide a safe pedestrian pathway. Those Wimble St culverts should be removed, the road level raised 1 m with a small but strong 8 m single-span, concrete bridge including footbridge, constructed by locals and with 1 m diameter secondary culverts along the causeway. The matter ought to be attended to by Seymour-based, North Ward councillors. It is not Mitchell Shires responsibility to carry the Rainbow banner, but it is the shires responsibility to ensure that safe town pathways are provided for pedestrians of all ages, ethnicities, creeds, ideologies, political persuasions, physiologies and intelligence. John J. Maher, Seymour On death and marriage I recently asked one of the regular contributors to the Letters to the Editor page why he had not written about the same-sex marriage debate. Much to my surprise he informed me that he was not game to do so. Despite opposition from my daughters, I voted No because I believe that marriage is between a male and a female. None of your contributors have mentioned the proposed Voluntary Euthanasia Bill either, and personally I think this is a step forward and hopefully it will be passed in the Victorian Parliament. It is voluntary, unlike abortions which are involuntary and the unborn babies have no say in it at all. In the past few weeks I have written to and contacted my local MPs and asked them to respectfully support the euthanasia proposals because I certainly do not want to suffer a horrible death. In a few weeks I will turn 80 and people keep asking what I want as a present. My greatest present will be a majority No vote, but this will not happen. At least my homosexual brother and some of his mates agree with me. Tony Schneiders, Seymour Interstate car travel Recently I travelled in to NSW in my car and was pulled over by the NSW Police. He stopped me because his on-board computer said my car was unregistered. I had just recently paid the registration but of course we no longer have current registration stickers. Therefore the on-board computer was incorrect, but try arguing with the computer. The point I want to make is that if you intend to travel in to NSW, carry a photocopy of your current registration certificate and receipt for payment with you. If I had been booked for an unregistered vehicle, it no longer could be driven from that point onwards until I could prove the registration was paid, which could have been difficult. Guilty until proved innocent. All this time-wasting inconvenience could have been avoided if registration labels were still being issued as they were for more than 90 years on receipt of payment, but alas, no doubt another cost-cutting measure by the State Government. Ralph Proven, Seymour Best interests It was disappointing to see the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party side with Labor and The Greens at the NSW Murray by-election. While claiming to put the best interests of country people first, SFFP stood hand-inhand with parties that would prefer to see the end of industries vital to our rural and regional communities, choosing to preference Labor ahead of The Nationals and to put the Nats last even after The Greens. In Victoria, Labor and The Greens have worked to starve our major forestry employers in East Gippsland of timber supply in an effort to create the Great Forest National Park by stealth. If the SFFP preference Labor and The Greens at the next Victorian State Election, then we can likely expect to see fishing with hooks banned, more national parks with less access for recreational users and fewer rights for lawful gun owners. The SFFP is clearly more interested in getting jobs for themselves than representing the best interests of country people. The Nationals will always put regional Victorians first. We wont side with Labor and The Greens whose policies threaten timber industry jobs and the rights of recreational shooters and farmers. The SFFP have shown they dont stand for the best interests of rural and regional Victorians. Luke OSullivan, The Nationals Member for Northern Victoria Licensed by Copyright Agency. You may only copy or communicate this work with a licence.