health of Yarra River and rowing
dolly
I am in the process of considering topics for a 3 - 4 minute radio
piece for a journalism course. I have been following stories related
to recent media focus on the health of the Yarra River. Having spoken
via email with some rowers, it seems that some are more concerned with
the poor quality of boat ramps (which they have suggested are more
likely to cause people to fall in, get cuts and subsequent infections).
I would be interested in seeing if anybody else shares this opinion
regarding boat / rowing ramps in the Yarra, or has any other opinions
or information relating to the health of the Yarra in relation to
sporting activities taking place within it.
Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Nick Suess
"dolly" <shanee...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1110328845.8...@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
> Hello everybody
>
> I am in the process of considering topics for a 3 - 4 minute radio
> piece for a journalism course. I have been following stories related
> to recent media focus on the health of the Yarra River.
Isn't it an oxymoron to mention "health" and "Yarra" in the same sentence?
Nick
(a member of Hawthorn Rowing Club when I lived in Melbourne during the 90s)
Si
difference) floating downstream. It's those bastards in the cruisers
steaming up the middle of the river. Or the needles that get washed on
to the boatramps after a good rain. Or the litter traps that unmoor
themselves and drift out midstream.
Other things being equal aren't rivers through big cities generally
filthy anyway? I wouldn't swig Thames water -or rub it into a blister.
You just get used to it, and bar the splashing you can avoid it well
enough too.
Tim Wise
Last year the local papers ( in the UK) were carrying stories of how
bad the Thames had got. From memory they have about 60 sewerage spill
into the Thames
a year, the "average" spill taakes about 6 days to clear so for most
the year
people really are rowing in shit. This is without all the debris that
washes in
from the streets. (Haven't the Poms discovered the wheelie bin).
They should be able to improve the Yarra with alot of work, you only
have
to look at the Maribyrnong River to see how much things can be
improved.
It has come along way from when I put a fish hook through my foot on
the Essendon Rowing club jetty, the jetty was invisible in 4 inches of
water
because it was so murky. Now you can see the barnacles growing on the
jetty
posts at the bottom, see used syringes bob past and very occasionally
see the odd car on the bottom of the river.
As for the bastards in cruisers, they really are.
tim
Chris Wade
>the poor quality of boat ramps...
Funny how some things never change!
I left Melbourne in 1997 after ten years rowing for Yarra Yarra and
other than for the odd bit of veteran-inspired DIY staging maintenance
there was never any sign of a wholesale improvement programme - even
where there were some sections that were positively treacherous,
especially when the water level got quite low in late summer on a low
tide.
Mud, mud, glorious mud... and bottles, and needles, and dead dogs,
cats, cows and people.
Seems as though the question of responsibility for the staging was in
a state of near perennial contest between the various clubs along
Jeffries Parade and the Melbourne City Council, with the simple rule
of you use it, its yours, its yours, its yours being the thrust of the
MCC's reasoning.
Fun and games!
Good luck with the journo bit.