Its decision has left the community divided, angry and frustrated,our voice is not being heard. The decision on the school site does not belong to a minority of local residents, the council or outside parties, it belongs to the wider Meander community.

Surveys and petitions before the council debate clearly showed our town was divided on the Teen Challenge option. The old Meander School has always been a meeting point for past and present generations, it should remain in community hands.

Any future use should be inclusive and draw our community together. I call on council to rescind its decision on the divisive Teen Challenge option. Our community deserves a better outcome.

I ENJOYED reading Piia Wirsu’s article on the ambitions of Diesel Traction and the North-East Rail Line (The Examiner, August 25). Diesel Traction is a group of rail enthusiasts, most of whom are either employed by Tasrail or are past railway employees such.  

The North-East rail line was once considered one of the best tourist rail experiences in the world.   In November 2009, when the rail infrastructure statewide was handed over to Tasrail by Act of Parliament that was the end of tourist rail.   The rail enthusiasts are not entirely fault-free.  

I have long bemoaned Don River Rail’s refusal to convert their steam driven rolling stock from coal fired to diesel - even though the experience, sound and site of these engines would remain unchanged. Our group of Residents and Farmers oppose the lifting of the rails and its conversion to a cycle trail.  I note the chairman of the Rail Trail’s comments that the only plan on the table that is fully costed is the cycle path project.

Fully costed it may be but there is a funding shortfall of about $2.4 million to complete the project, and this does not include extending the cycle path from Cold Water Creek, where the rail line forks, to Inveresk - a cycle path that will have to be built from scratch on current privately owned land as it cannot be established on an active commercial rail easement.  

I note also a number of complaints from Scottsdale patricians that cyclists currently using the trail through to Ledgerwood are camping, rather than using facilities in Scottsdale.   This is more my understanding of the demographic of trail cyclists.

In Ms Wirsu’s article, Clynton Brown  proposed a compromise, involving some train travel and the remainder by bike. This proposal has some merit, although I have yet to discuss this with my group.  

It has particular relevance, considering that there is insufficient funds to get the cycle trail to Cold Water Creek, which is in the middle of nowhere and rail is a logical choice ex Inveresk.

THE state government is planning to change the structure of home-education in Tasmania.  

Having children home-school saves the government millions of dollars each year as parents cover all their own costs.   In this state, the body that has been monitoring home-schooling since the early 1990s has been doing a great job.  

As a result, the number of families having the confidence to home-school has increased several times during that period.  The resources provided to monitor students are no longer adequate.  

Instead of increasing funding to cover this, the government wants to bring home-schooled children under the Department of Education.   I would encourage the government to support home-schooling, rather than erode it.