Health effects of lack of local park access

The park is fenced off and is being dug up, so now the residents who live around it (many in small units) have no access to the green space that could have offered much-needed and permissible physically-distanced exercise and relaxation from the stresses of the pandemic.

I worry about the repercussions for our collective long-term health (e.g. deconditioning, osteoporosis, mental health, etc.) after months of lowered exposure to sunlight (vitamin D) and limitations to free movement in the fresh air. Daily exercise is so important at this time.

What's more the frequent rattle and hum, digging, sawing and drilling of machinery five and a half days a week, occasional dust and fumes from the site, and the constant sadness at watching the greenery disappear, make it difficult and unpleasant to work and home-school while self-isolating, and even less enticing to get out for exercise during the week.

At least we have the weekend to get a quiet break from that, but we don't have a park close-by to go and get it out of our system as others do.

If only there were some way that the council could give us access to the remaining greenery on Penshurst Park just for the duration of this health crisis, or reduce the hours or days that we have to endure the noise while we are cooped up and trying to function at home.

Are there other ways that we can help each other to remain healthy and functional, not only with regards to avoiding the transmission of COVID-19, but also to mitigate the current and longer-term physical, social and emotional consequences of our isolation strategies to beat it? Kathryn Skelsey, Penshurst

I thank John Rodger for his letter published by The Leader on Wednesday 15th April about Beverley Park Golf Club's impression that the public purse is limitless. In addition to the club's hopes of having the public purse fund an ugly fence running around the perimeter of the golf course at the cost of over $400,000, it is also attempting to gain approval to build a new maintenance shed at well over double that cost at $990,000. This new shed is planned to be 44 meters in length, running along the rear fence of three homes, destroying their outlook on recreational land and replacing it with a brick wall. The negative impact on those houses is immense.

And now, in its appeal to the Land and Environment Court to get the fence approved, the club now wants to extend that fence even further to include running it behind these same three houses, between the back fence and the brick wall of the shed.

All this, by a club that boasts a motto of "Your Community Club" on the front of its clubhouse. According to the club's most recent Annual Report (2019), it does not have the money to fund either of these projects, let alone both. It also runs at a financial loss year after year and so presumably the Board of Directors expects the public purse to come up with over $1.3 million when the community has clearly stated that it does not want either of these projects to occur.

Approaches were made by local residents to the Board of the Golf Club to discuss alternate ideas for the maintenance shed, but that did not bring any relief. The local State MP, Steve Kamper was also approached to assist the residents, but that also got nowhere. Paul Hoffmans, Beverley Park

Dear Gladys,

Thanks for your reassuring message that panic buying and hoarding are still unnecessary. The good news is, the strategy of message abundance has been somewhat effective and some people are stoically complying not to panic buy. The bad news is, many do not believe the message and have continued to purchase and hoard toilet paper. The good news is, the hoarders are not contributing to the current increase in serious plumbing issues as they are only flushing the recommended tissue, toilet paper. The bad news is, many are contributing to the increased incidence of huge "fatbergs," causing very unpleasant and expensive problems in sewage systems as they are flushing anything they can get their hands on, which sadly, is not toilet paper. The good news is, the hoarders are continuing to maintain good standards of personal hygiene, wearing clean, unsoiled underwear as they go about the business of amassing more toilet paper. The bad news is, many will need to resort to wearing disposable nappies, creating a new panic buy item as they struggle to recall that beloved but elusive commodity, toilet paper. The good news is, you appear to be a kind and reasonable person so could we drop around to your place for a roll or two of toilet paper. Deidre Favelle, Oatley