Letter to the Editor
Lysterfield… Eagles
Over the last fifteen years my wife and I set about trying to restore an Avenue of Honour at Lysterfield. It represents both the City of Knox, and the Shire of Yarra Ranges, history and heritage.
At the same time, a small colony of eagles was establishing itself in the Lysterfield hills nearby to our project. I would look up and see the eagles soaring in the sky, and thought “that’s what this country is all about” - freedom – to do what you have been taught and to do it well – that’s what we fought for.
The eagles have their nest in the catchment area of the Lysterfield dam, which comes under Parks Victoria. (The Commonwealth Games are holding part of their cycling events here). To me, the eagles hurt nobody, or so I thought until the other day when the people under instruction shot one of them. Why, because they were attacking young wallabies in a sanctuary further down the road.
The eagles can’t read, they are doing what they have done for many hundreds of years, providing food for themselves and their young. They don’t know about sanctuaries and such, furthermore man has exterminated most of the rabbits, so what do you expect.
To us both, the shooting of this magnificent bird was sacrilege to say the least and entirely unnecessary. These eagles have just as much right to be here, along with our other wild life, platypus, koalas etc.
If we have to protect our wallabies, let’s do it properly, not start shooting at everything that doesn’t fit………Why not try technology!!!
Yours sincerely,
Edmund Ingouville-Williams.
Coordinator Avenue of Honour, Lysterfield