Open Letter to Pru Goward and Gareth Ward re Morton National Park

OPEN LETTER

The Hon Pru Goward MLA, and Gareth Ward MLA

Dear Pru and Gareth

I am sending this to both of you, as local members, as my concern is primarily with the Morton National Park, which is included in both the Kiama and Goulburn Electorates.

As you both know, I live in Robertson, but spend much of my time in Morton National Park, where I particularly follow my interest in photographing Native Orchids. As such I take the threat of the opening of National Parks to hunting as a personal threat to my safety.

All the assurances which are being talked about about hunting being controlled, are totally destroyed by the efforts of Mr Robert Borsak and his colleague Mr Robert Brown, of the Shooters and Fishers Party. Clearly their objective is not only to open the Parks to hunting, but more generally to spread a gun culture in Australia. If you saw the Four Corners Program "The Hunting Party" recently, you will understand exactly what I mean.
If you didn't watch that program, kindly follow this link to watch it on line.
http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/2013/06/10/3776198.htm
This is important to me and to many of my colleagues to whom I am copying this note.

The Hunting Party (Louie Eroglu)
Courtesy ABC Four Corners

I endorse the comments below from Gary Schoer addressed to two local members in the Southern Sydney region.

I do not want you to bother preparing yet another "standard reply" to me about the value of the proposed "feral animal control program in National Parks". I have seen many such standard replies already, and frankly, they are meaningless drivel. (I say that as someone who was employed for many years to prepare replies to Ministerial letters. I always tried hard to address the issues raised in such letters)

I am writing about a very real threat to my personal safety, posed by untrained hunters (children even) being given access to National Parks.

Unless you can give me a genuine personal reply to my situation, just ask yourself how you could possibly expect me or my fellow naturalists and bush-walkers to ever consider voting for either of you again?

I await a considered, personal reply on what I regard as a matter of life or death.

Denis Wilson
PO Box 3158
Robertson NSW 2577