Lettersto the editor

Raise a glass to a visionary man

I CONGRATULATE the former mayor of Cairns, Kevin Byrne, on his contribution to civic affairs and, in particular, to his work on the development of the Esplanade Lagoon.

The Lagoon is the centrepiece of the fabulous Cairns Esplanade, and Mr Byrne can be proud that when he was mayor he was determined to see that the vision of his predecessor Tom Pyne and Pyne-era councillor Darren Cleland came to fruition.

In his 1999 memoir, Up Front!, edited by former Cairns Post editor David Maguire, Mr Pyne refers to his council’s development of the Esplanade as “my pet project”.

“I earnestly feel this will be the single most important focal point to help revitalise and sustain our city centre,” Mr Pyne wrote in 1999 as his tenure with council was coming to close.

I have since learned this week that Mr Pyne’s vision was enabled by an unsung hero called Alan Burgoyne.

It seems that the elderly Mr Burgoyne is the person to be acknowledged for Cairns’ iconic lagoon. In the mid-1990s, he was a regular swimmer who was a well-known figure at the Tobruk Pool.

Mr Burgoyne strongly lobbied Tom Pyne and then Cairns city councillor Darren Cleland to establish a swimming area in the ocean in the city similar to the old swimming baths on the site of the present-day Hilton Hotel.

Thanks to Mr Burgoyne’s urgings, Cr Cleland moved at a general meeting of council to investigate the construction of a swimming lagoon and the council secured government funding based on a plan not unlike the design finally decided on.

Sadly, Mr Burgoyne did not live to see the day the Lagoon become a reality.

He was an example of a single resident can make a wonderful difference to our community.

So while we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Cairns Lagoon, let’s raise a glass to Mr Burgoyne.

David Anthony, Bungalow

Repairs needed to access waterfalls

I HAVE just visited three waterfalls in the past week in the Cooktown area.

They were the Isabella, Endeavour and Bloomfield falls.

The Minister of Tourism, Stirling Hinchliffe or his deputy, Michael Healy, should go out there and see it.

No proper access, no signs or proper stairs etc.

So how are the older tourists going to visit them? A broken leg is a possibility.

It does not take much to fix it.

Even on the Tablelands, two of the waterfalls are in a similar situation.

We are not world class at all. We talk, but no action.

Vick Kandiah, Cairns

Celebrations for a much-loved doctor

DR Tom Wright, an obstetrician in Cairns for 30 years, died suddenly in February 2022.

On Sunday, May 21, at 11am, at the Pullman Cairns International ballroom, a celebration of Dr Wright’s life will be held.

A memorial to say thank you to a remarkable man who helped deliver many babies into the region.

Dr Wright’s legacy has allowed firstborn babies delivered by Dr Wright to grow up to have their babies delivered by Dr Wright. This is a community event for those that wish to remember Dr Wright.

Tickets are limited and available online at $65 at www.trybooking. com/CEAHR

This is a fundraising event with raffle prizes to be won. Charities close to Dr Wright and his family have been chosen, Perinatal Mental Health to help new mums and dads transition into parenthood, and The Stillborn Foundation.

Nindra Samrai-Blair, Cairns

Citizen scientists greatly appreciated

THIS is the month to recognise and celebrate the work of citizen scientists.

These are hard-working individuals and organisations that volunteer their time and resources to collect environmental data and utilise it for the improvement of the environment.

CAFNEC’s MangroveWatch Project is made up entirely of these citizen scientists.

Thank you to all of those that have dedicated your time over the years to this project and to the new ones that have joined us this year.

We wish we could name you all