Sick of the clash of political clichés? Of the empty ringing brass of the past three months? Amid all the noise some Canberrans may have missed the real news - that of a wonderful, quieter literary flowering which has been taking place here in Canberra and the region. Over these same three months three excellent novels have been released by three of our best mid-career writers - a golden harvest of three's.
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All three books are "quest" novels. They tell courageous, uplifting stories in which young men and women struggle, against the odds, to unpick the network of secrets, of family myths and lies within which they were raised, and in the process find a new sense of belonging and love.
Yet how different are the settings, each vividly rendered, within which these individual struggles take place. The Orchardist's Daughter by Karen Viggers is set in the forests and mountains of south-eastern Tasmania, its backdrop the divisive politics of environmentalism. Nigel Featherstone's Bodies of Men, a novel of war, of courage and love under fire, takes place in Alexandria and the Western Desert during WWII, while the site of Penelope Hanley's After She Left is Sydney, its waters, its streetscapes. This multi-generational novel of family starts in a post-War Bohemian artistic circle in the 1920's and ends in the great Age of Change of the early 1970's.
So if you're feeling the need, post-election, to refresh your verbal palate, the remedy is as close to hand as your local bookshop. Nothing you will find in these three fine books will disappoint you. And how many spheres of life can you still say that about?
John Clanchy, Ainslie
Are you paying attention?
Today, after more than six months, workers were seen removing the solid material from the larger northern silt traps on the Lake. During this time, in fact several rain events ago, our ACT government was notified of significant buildup in the traps. No action was taken. Newspaper articles have also been met with no response. Even letters to politicians have provided no action.
It's not rocket science to realise that any buildup will end up in the lake at the next lot of rain.
The traps have been significant biohazards for months and today the workers diligently pumped all the polluted water into the lake. This can only add to the already huge nutrient and algal levels, resulting in it being unusable for extended periods. Thousands use the lake and surrounds and many more would use this great community resource if our government would work in a timely and reasonable manner. How do we get the relevant authorities to take action?
Kerry Bunker, Greenway
Early heritage benefits
I note the Lake Burley Griffin Guardians oppose the replacement of the ageing Commonwealth Avenue bridge on heritage grounds and suggest a tunnel instead ("Engineer calls for new Commonwealth Avenue bridge," May 23, p5).
A cheaper alternative, with significant early heritage benefits, would be to drain the lake (which after all was only built in the 1960s) and recreate the old bridges over the Molonglo River.
The tram, disguised in late 19th century livery and preferably horse drawn to avoid unsightly overhead wires, could have its own route across the floodplain. Given our ever-drying climate the likelihood of future floods is probably remote. The existing bridge would remain as a 20th century 'folly'. I hope this helpful suggestion will be treated with appropriate seriousness by the ACT and National authorities.
Richard Johnston, Kingston
Rallying calls
One of the rallying calls in the recent election was "more action on climate change". However, there was very little information on specifics. People want more electric vehicles, but if it takes more resources to make an electric vehicle is this good for the climate? Four times the amount of copper as opposed to in a petrol car needs mining. How will lithium batteries be disposed of at the end of their life and what effect will they have on the environment? What is the life of solar panels and will grime reduce their effectiveness? How will they be cleaned if installed in an area without much water?
Total cost and effectiveness of all possible changes need to be looked at. Our scientists and leaders need to talk to each other so we, the general population, can demand that informed decisions are made.
Barry Peffer, Nicholls
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