I knew that my fortnightly home help would be disrupted but not that it would extend out to four weeks.

Apparently I was one in a number of “unfortunates” who missed out on a visit.

Whatever happened to aging in place?

Surely it costs less to support people in their own homes than have them enter residential care.

I understand it is a funding issue but pinching pennies here costs us all more in the long run.

I am not sure our politicians, local, state or federal have grasped this concept.

Karen Bell

ELMHURST

I am searching for an old friend, her name was. and maybe still is,  Fluer McPherson.

She was a nurse who lived in Wattletree Road.

Her brother greg was an accountant and she was very good friends with Renee Kink, a Collingwood footballer.

She lived and went to school in Ararat and I was hoping that someone might know here whereabouts.

My contact number is 0407280998 if anyone has information.

Ken Strachan

KERANG

Over recent weeks I have been walking around the Alexandra Gardens with a group of friends.

It is wonderful to see the pool open and the cafe doing so well giving a new focus for locals and visitors to the city.

Undoubtedly the council has a busy schedule but it is very disappointing to see the gardens have become sadly neglected with the lake covered in disgusting smelly algae and rubbish floating in it.

There are weeds growing in abundance in particular thistles, dead shrubs and lawns needing a mow.

The red bridge to the island is almost at the end of its life with boards coming loose and is sadly in need of painting.

A local photographer recently highlighted this on his Facebook page and received a lot of comments.

The revival of the swimming pool is fantastic and the community should be so proud but I have yet to see the council step up to improve the surrounds or place signage to let visitors know it's there.

At the back of the pool – the original entrance – there is a "pool closed for the season" sign and rubbish.

How would a visitor know there is a pool let alone a cafe on the other side?

So I rang the council and spoke to a customer service officer.

I was told that the council is understaffed and if I wanted to request the clean up of the gardens I could do so.

Come on Ararat councillors get your selves down to the gardens, take a  walk and then hire a contractor if you don't have the staff.

A suggestion would be start a work for the dole group to do some basic gardening or painting, I am sure there are agencies who would be very happy to accommodate this option.

I love the gardens and spend many happy hours there and applaud the pool committee for their amazing work and Maria for her incentive with the cafe.

We should have the most amazing gardens so that people want to stop off in Ararat, spend their money and look around.

So come on council please spend our rates money on things that we care about.

Yours sincerely,

Joan Studd

ARARAT