Success of AFL Women’s league boost to health
Friday night at Ikon Park was certainly a night to remember.
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I was privileged to have been one of the 24,000-strong crowd who witnessed history at the inaugural AFL women’s league game.
We all had high hopes for the first game’s success, but everyone was blown away by the biggest crowd for a women’s sporting event in Australian history.
While I feel for the thousands of fans who couldn’t get in, this was an overwhelming vote of support from Victorians.
CEO Gillon McLachlan deserves credit for personally explaining to the crowd that safety had to come first, and demonstrates the AFL’s commitment to the new women’s game.
Friday night was just the start, with three other fantastic games played over the weekend.
I’ve seen that 10,100 fans watched Bulldogs play Fremantle, 9250 saw Adelaide play Greater Western Sydney and 6500 saw Melbourne play Brisbane.
A total of more than a million people tuned in to watch the four games on television.
The support is so strong that there is already talk of moving the 2017 AFL Women’s grand final to the MCG.
What an amazing achievement for everyone – the men and women – who has worked so hard to get this league off the ground.
We want to get tens of thousands of Victorian women and girls more active.
Our research shows that three quarters of Victorians (73 per cent) agree that female sport role models motivate women and girls to get physically active.
If we want to raise strong, empowered, independent girls, then we need more female role models in the public eye.
So, don’t just be a spectator – get out there and get moving.
Jerril Rechter, VicHealth CEO
Double standard evident
I don't disagree that capital punishment may be outdated or even barbaric; although there are quite a few convicted murderers who are more than barbaric in the attacks on their victims.
What I fail to understand is the acceptance of abortion – the “termination” of an innocent unborn human life – by the very same group of citizens that deplore capital punishment.
An unborn child is innocent, vulnerable and yet, it seems, expendable.
Not worthy of the same consideration of criminals in this discussion.
Helen Leach, Bendigo
Visitor to town highlights problems locals endure
Reading last week’s letter from Barry Van Schellen (“Be smarter with transport”, Bendigo Advertiser), even a visitor to the town can see the problems that locals and visitors face every day of the week.
I did notice at lot of vehicles parked down in the creek along the back of the lake on that day.
Maybe it needs looking into if there is a better way of parking vehicles that could allow more vehicles to park there instead of a single line as it was.
There is an area of parking space at the old car park of the North Bendigo railway workshops that could be cleaned up and utilised for such occasions.
It has been done in the past, so why can't this be revisited again?
One of the events was a fire demonstration carnival where this happened.
It only needs signage and be well advertised that this area is available.
At an Easter carnival they conducted car trials in the creek bed, and i think that there were a couple of crossovers put in.
Maybe this could be done and utilise both sides of the creek.
People just need to start looking outside the square. It's not rocket science to come up with solutions.
