Dancing at the Ipswich Filipino - Australian Coronation Night in Ipswich tonight attended by the Philippines Consul in Queensland Allan Grummitt. Congratulations to all involved.

Hoons smash fence at Bellbird Park - 12 times in 10 years

Wright calls time on hoons
South West News, Brisbane by Charley Rico	08 May 2013
 Phil Wright took this photo of a crash in his frontyard, a problem that has plagued his property for years. He has seen 12 near-misses at the front of his Bellbird Park home in 10 years and he’s had enough. ACTION TIME: COUNCIL TO WEIGH UP ITS OPTIONS IN TACKLING ACCIDENT-PRONE BLACK SPOT BELLBIRD PARK resident Phil Wright has seen 12 nearmisses at his property in less than 10 years and Ipswich City Council councillor Paul Tully (Div 2) hopes to fix the controversial spot sooner rather than later. Situated on the corner of Fiona and Rosemary streets, Mr Wright said drivers raced around the corner and it was a magnet for hooning, dragging, burn outs and drifting on a daily basis. We have had cars through our fence five times and not once has anyone offered to pay, not even our excess for insurance,’’ Mr Wright said. But we did get a response from the mayor (Paul Pisasale) and last week local councillor Paul Tully came out with a technical engineer to have a look at the area.’’ Cr Tully said a traffic count for the dangerous corner would be conducted by mid- May. The sort of things we’re looking at are additional warning signs, Phil suggested the possibility of putting in three stop signs, which is also being looked at, and putting in guard rails,’’ Cr Tully said. Right on the corner is where pedestrians cross as well, so it’s not without its difficulties. But we are looking at ways to make it safer because people like Phil and his wife shouldn’t have to his wife shouldn’t have to put up with cars coming through their front fence.’’ According to crash data from the Department of Transport and Main Roads, Transport and Main Roads, during 2009 there was a hitobject’’ crash and a headon’’ crash, and in 2005 there was a hit-object’’ crash.

Tully: Get the pest off our crest

PEST: A deer caught in the
Pan Pacific Peace Gardens
in Goodna.

GET the pest off our crest.

That is the call from Cr Paul Tully who is set to lobby state MPs to remove the deer from the Queensland coat of arms and replace it with the koala.

Cr Tully said the koala was "a well known and truly loved native Australian animal" whereas the red deer was "an officially declared class three pest".

"I am calling for the government to get rid of the deer, a native pest from England, and replace it with the koala," he said.

"The koala is our official Queensland faunal emblem.

"The species is under threat and having it on the crest would improve public knowledge and appreciation of the koala.

"And unlike the red deer, it is illegal to shoot it."

Deer were gifted by Queen Victoria to the colony of Queensland in the 1870s and remain at large in Ipswich.

"Some of those deer ended up near Moggill on the other side of the river," Cr Tully said.

"They are powerful swimmers and they escaped about 30 years ago from a property.

"We had one running through North Ipswich last year and there was one in Booval five years ago.

"They have been seen near the Goodna RSL and there is a heard in bushland between Collingwood Park and New Chum.

"I saw one on the Ipswich Motorway. Drivers don't expect to confront a deer.

"Their legs buckle and they come up over the bonnet, so they are very dangerous.

"They are timid, but they have big antlers and if anyone went near one they could gore you and kill you."

AUSSIE NATIVE: A Queensland coat of arms, left, designed by Paul Tully with a koala on the crest, which he wants to replace the crest with a red deer.

RSPCA Queensland spokesperson Michael Beatty said feral red deer was a council matter but urged that they be "treated humanely" when caught.

Under the Land Protection (Pest and Stock Route Management) Act 2002, it is an offence to introduce red deer into Queensland. The maximum penalty is $22,000.

"Since 1977, we have given tribute to a non-native animal which has been a declared pest for the past four years," Cr Tully said.

"We may as well put the cane toad or fire ant on our coat of arms instead of Queen Victoria's grand gift to Queensland.

"Campbell Newman should step in and have a statewide competition to find a suitable replacement for this historic absurdity.

"We are the only state in the world where the official crest has a declared pest on it.... and it is a pest from England. So get the pest off the crest."

Reader poll

What image would you like to see replace the red deer on the Queensland coat of arms?

Koala
Quoll


Bilby
Wallaby


Cane Toad
Carp


Indian Minor
Paul Tully


or view results

Results

Koala

35%

Quoll

9%

Bilby

11%

Wallaby

5%

Cane Toad

14%

Carp

1%

Indian Minor

0%

Paul Tully

22%

This is not a scientific poll. The results reflect only the opinions of those who chose to participate.

DEER

• Introduced from UK in 1870s
• A class three pest
• At large in Ipswich
• On state crest since 1977