As quoted in Monday’s Advertiser, deputy mayor and group chairman Rod Fyffe said the shift of rides this year would sit at the heart of the festival precinct.

I wouldn't call Mundy Street the heart of the festival and certainly not the CBD.

It was also disappointing to read that rides were down by 50 per cent and priority was given to long time association to the festival. This is hardly encouraging and supporting the community and all stall holders.

The other statement in the letter questioned whether the business traders were still blocking the carnival from the CBD or council keeping the attractions here.

Business and council say they want people to come and support them, but on the other hand they put up barriers. You can't have your cake and eat it too.

Since privatisation has taken over, once when we had floats made by SEC, Gas&Fuel, PMG/Telecom, Bendigo Hospital and School Of Minds, schools Scout and Girl Guides. We don't see this happening anymore, it's all about profit not community involvement.

Where were the decorated bicycles, people on stilts, clowns, schools etc? There were bands, marching groups – more than what was in this year’s procession.

What I believe was a pretty ordinary procession, compared to the Maldon Easter procession on Monday where there were a couple of entrants that took part in the Bendigo procession, as well as a lot of local input from a small community.

The letter by mayor Margaret O’Rourke (“Councillors calling shots”, Bendigo Advertiser, April 17) stating Michael McKenzie’s comments were disrespectful are outrageous, or maybe my skin is a little thicker than that of the mayor as I read nothing untoward in any of his comments and yet we now have her asking for public submissions.

Why would anyone make a submissions if you are going to be attacked? As we have all seen over many years these public submissions seem to have very little credence, if any, in the council’s plans.

In fact, one would be forgiven for thinking that any of the councillors or directors even read them at all.

Mr McKenzie and Mr Coleman have both submitted many submissions over the years to council, with their finest being the call for an independent review, which had it not been for a change in councillors this would never have seen the light of day as the CEO and directors were dead set against it, calling it a waste of money and time, along with some of the old-school councillors.

It is amazing with the success how these people’s approach has changed, even to the fact of claiming that it was a council-driven plan, and we all know that this not the case.

If the mayor wishes to have public submissions, please accept them with the good intentions that they have been submitted and read them for what they are, public ideas to try and help you.

Half of all six-year-old children presenting to public dental clinics have experienced tooth decay, according to new data from Dental Health Services Victoria. 

The most distressing statistic is that about 4500 children aged 0-14 are hospitalised due to dental conditions. It is a silent epidemic in children. 

Dental disease accounts for more than 63,000 hospital presentations every year in Australia (behind kidney infection and gastroenteritis), the third-highest cause for preventable hospital admissions. 

Last financial year, the Royal Melbourne Dental Hospital operated on 53 preschool children to extract at least half of their baby teeth. Some children had all teeth extracted.