I dare anyone to do something

I have been trying for years now, without any success or feedback whatsoever, to draw Central Coast Council's attention to the lamentable state of our roads on the Central Coast.

Letter after letter goes unacknowledged and unanswered.

What I'd now like to draw someone's attention to is the sad state of the suburb of Woy Woy.

I visit Woy Woy on most days and can't help comparing the state of the village to villages I've seen in Scotland.

There are "beautiful village" competitions and baskets of pretty flowers are hung from lamp posts, pub signs and outside people's homes.

The streets are kept swept and clean.

I remember a time when road cleaners and sweepers used to wash down the pavements of Woy Woy station.

This is now no longer.

The wall outside my doctor's surgery at the Clocktower is covered with graffiti.

The ramp leading to the surgery and the tiles outside it, a sort of pinkish tile, are filthy.

Businesses, especially cafes, seem to open every six months and close down just as quickly.

Flower beds, which used to be filled with cheerful floral displays, are now choked with weeds, and nothing else.

I would like to be able to take pride in the shopping centre that I visit most days, but now it's a tired and depressing place.

The benches outside the real estate agents, opposite Liesl Tesch's office, badly need a fresh coat of paint.

As for Deepwater Plaza, it used it have comfy sofas for older people to relax on.

This is no longer the case, as they have been removed.

Money is the only god now.

No-one cares if an old person needs to sit down.

More and more benches are being removed, forcing people to sit and have a coffee when maybe they just want to sit down and collect their wits.

The roads are an absolute disgrace.

I was in India in May, and most of the roads we drove on were in better shape than Central Coast's roads.

Many people do not even have kerbs, guttering or drains.

I don't suppose the Central Coast Council will ever act on these things, but I wish someone would get their finger out and do something.

Even just small things like painting a few benches, and cleaning the pavements, or planting a few flowers in the flower beds.

I dare anyone to do something.

Letter, 3 Oct 2017

Maia Russell, Tascott