  | Hello from sunny Coquette Point, Well what a difference a week can make in a person’s life! Last week I was lazily soaking up the sun at Dunk Island and enjoying the ‘birthday boy’s’ celebrations. I returned to Coquette Point and suddenly fell ill. Within a short time I was fighting for my life in Innisfail Hospital. At this stage the blood tests have not delivered any results but hopefully next week I will know. As a cautionary tale I can tell you that last week I was doing more ‘cyclone clean up’,( without protective clothing) and it is my belief that I have somehow ingested some organism that quickly took over my body. No rash appeared, however, it resulted in my blood pressure dropping, my heart going at 200 beats per minute and my lungs filling with fluid. It all happened very quickly. The creatures of this world are powerful particularly little viral ones. |
My thanks go to the ambulance officers who speedily got me to hospital and to the doctors and nurses who treated me with such efficiency and ability. My special thanks to the general staff who were always so polite, friendly and obliging: little things mean an awful lot when you are vulnerable.
I have now ‘escaped’ from hospital and am on the mend, gaining strength by the hour. My youngest daughter Elizabeth together with my very competent sidekick Gloria held the nursery together and it looks tidier than when I left. I think Libby has worked no stop cleaning the house and nursery. Thank you my darling daughter.
I have now ‘escaped’ from hospital and am on the mend, gaining strength by the hour. My youngest daughter Elizabeth together with my very competent sidekick Gloria held the nursery together and it looks tidier than when I left. I think Libby has worked no stop cleaning the house and nursery. Thank you my darling daughter.
| When I was released from the HDU into the ward yesterday I had no sooner settled down when my dear friend Nellie Epong was wheeled into my room in a wheel chair. She had intended to pay me a visit when she also fell ill, from an existing problem, and to both our astonishment she was allocated the bed next to me. Nellie and I have been trying to find time to sit down for a few hours and iron out some ideas we have – something to be reported on at a later date – and low and behold we were thrown together for two days in hospital. When Henry and the family came to visit Nellie and saw us in the same room they couldn’t believe their eyes. |  Nellie and Yvonne in hospital. |
 | Nellie left her phone on and Mandaburra business was handed down with firmness. I watched Nellie in action with amazement, every bit a wise and capable CEO. Nellie was discharged from hospital shortly after me and like me will be getting more tests in the weeks ahead. |  |
 red lines show where 90 RV parks are to be located creating a barrier to free cassowary movement | Then just as things looked so promising the ‘Sword of Damoclese’, that has been hanging over the cassowaries at Coquette Point, fell with the news that my next door neighbour’s application to Council has been accepted by the planning office and has gone to the Federal Environment Department for approval. The green swirly lines are cassowary habitat. You can see the development is wedged between cassowary habitats. The development is also surrounded by World Heritage Wet Tropics and in my opinion is not a suitable development to be a Wet Tropics neighbour. |
| Caravan owners have a high number of dogs, this is observed in other Caravan Parks and although the plan will state that they require dogs to be tied up this is seldom followed. The development is at the end of the Coquette Point Road which is a narrow and steep road passing through and alongside the Moresby Range National Park. Cassowaries are regularly sited on the road and there are over thirteen (13) signs warning to look out for cassowaries. At the moment cassowary road fatalities are low with .2 deaths per year over the last 20 years. Cassowaries are regularly seen on the development site. Before recent clearing the development site was a major cassowary habitat. Revegetation of this land should become a major priority. |  |
The development is to be built on old swamp land that was cleared with ‘cyclone clean-up funds’ following cyclone Larry and Yasi. The site floods at King Tide and will require large amounts of fill which will comprise drainage of the adjacent Wet Tropics swamps.
The site is highly exposed to storm surge and evacuation from this site would pose considerable difficulty following cyclone and flood warnings. The access road to Coquette Point floods from Howe Street to the Ninds Creek bridge, therefore, evacuations would need to be carried out well in advance of a weather event. This would place an unreasonable burden on State Emergency volunteers.
The site adjoins a dynamic sand dune system within the estuary that is a significant ‘Little Tern’ rookery.
Two pairs of the endangered Beach Stone Curlews inhabit the adjacent beach. One pair on the northern dune and the other in the corner closer to Baldy Knob.
There are several swamps on the site and one contains a large crocodile.
The melaleuca swamps at Coquette Point are a major frog breeding area and I recently identified Litoria jungguy, a Red Listed frog breeding in these melaleuca swamps.
The site is highly exposed to storm surge and evacuation from this site would pose considerable difficulty following cyclone and flood warnings. The access road to Coquette Point floods from Howe Street to the Ninds Creek bridge, therefore, evacuations would need to be carried out well in advance of a weather event. This would place an unreasonable burden on State Emergency volunteers.
The site adjoins a dynamic sand dune system within the estuary that is a significant ‘Little Tern’ rookery.
Two pairs of the endangered Beach Stone Curlews inhabit the adjacent beach. One pair on the northern dune and the other in the corner closer to Baldy Knob.
There are several swamps on the site and one contains a large crocodile.
The melaleuca swamps at Coquette Point are a major frog breeding area and I recently identified Litoria jungguy, a Red Listed frog breeding in these melaleuca swamps.
| Very high numbers of mangrove mosquito, sand-flies and other tropical biting insects inhabit the swamps at Coquette Point. Control of these ‘pests’ would require fogging which will impact of the insects population in the adjacent Wet Tropics lagoons and swamps. Several Aboriginal Cultural Sites are close to the development and I understand one is within the development. This Caravan Park development application has gone to The Federal Environment Minister, The Hon, Tony Burke.MP. and is open for comments under the EPBC Act and is due Tuesday 7th. |  Jessie following ‘Little Dad’ 10.4.12 |
I appeal to you to write to the Hon, Tony Burke M.P., Minister for the Environment and request that his Department not approve this development for any of the reasons I have listed above or any of the reasons under the EPA Act where this Development is in conflicts.
There is little time so please ACT NOW otherwise this development could mean the end of the Cassowaries of the Moresby Range Nation Park.
There is little time so please ACT NOW otherwise this development could mean the end of the Cassowaries of the Moresby Range Nation Park.
 Photo of Dad 1 with his chicks taken by Bill Farnsworth last breeding season 20.11.11. in his backyard at Coquette Point | BREAKING NEWS Diana O’Brian has just phoned me and this morning she saw ‘Little Dad’ with two small stripy chicks. Please tell me that’s a good omen. If you wish to phone me about the Development ring me on 40612687. Thank you for your help. Yvonne |
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