A Plea for Help
13 August 2005
The great majority of people who work at or visit the University
comment on what a beautiful campus environment it is. They comment
favourably on the buildings' varying styles, the sense of space,
and probably most of all they love the wildlife and the fact that
kangaroos, in particular, are wandering freely in the grounds.
As most people know we have encouraged the wildlife, we have
marked off areas to allow kangaroos to rest, and we have
discouraged people approaching them.
When the plovers are nesting, in all sorts of inconvenient
places, we demarcate an area around them so that they too are as
undisturbed as possible.
Our master plan has a designated greenbelt link with the
National Park via specially designed underpasses on Claymore road,
in order to encourage animal movements to and from the campus.
As five years have elapsed since our last master plan review was
undertaken, we are preparing for another major review.
A major review is now necessary because of the accelerating pace
and scale of proposed developments on and next to the campus. If we
plan and control these developments we have a real chance of
preserving the beauty and attractiveness of this campus for
centuries, but it will take inspirational planning and extensive
cooperation.
Even now there are too many signs of diminishing respect,
evidenced in the increase of general litter, the appalling habits
of cigarette smokers in disposing of butts, hoons doing wheelies on
grassed areas and threatening wildlife, people chasing kangaroos or
plovers, domestic animals being allowed on site, and reckless
cycling, skateboarding and rollerblading on footpaths, university
signage and railings.
We do not have a fortune to spend on security but we do have an
effective system that discourages extremes of behaviour and enables
us, through video surveillance, to take action after an
incident.
But it is the day-to-day routines of most of us associated with
the campus that also need address. We need help from people to
become more sensitive to the ways in which they dispose of litter,
and children crossing the campus need to do so responsibly and that
appropriate behaviour is reinforced by parents. There are too many
instances of children creating noise, riding recklessly, or chasing
a baby plover last week, for example.
If these behaviours are repeated many times, there is no doubt
that over time the 'sense of place' that the University now offers
will needlessly be diminished, and all who work and visit here will
lose something precious.
The cynics will say that development will inevitably mean the
disappearance of the kangaroos, for example. This was said in 1995,
but the kangaroo population has actually doubled. There is no
reason if we all continue to respect this environment why that
trend cannot continue. If it doesn't, it will be either bad
planning, or the cumulative effect of thoughtless behaviours.
For our part we will ensure that the planning dimension is
covered. But we also need the sensitive help of staff, students,
children, parents and visitors alike to contribute to the
protection of this unique campus with its distinctive 'sense of
place'.
Professor Paul Thomas is Vice-Chancellor of University of
the Sunshine Coast