Tuesday 7th January, 2020
To - Mayor and Councillors, Benalla Rural City URGENT
Dear Danny and fellow councillors,
I am writing on behalf of Benalla Sustainable Future Group, and many of the other people in our community who share our views, to earnestly request that Tim Bowtell’s painting of Greta Thunberg is retained on the Council Customer Service Centre window.
We view this painting as a powerful statement that here is a community that cares, not only about the present wellbeing of its citizens, but the future as well. Greta is a beacon of hope for millions of people, both young and old, around the world, and a hero for them as she challenges the world’s leaders to take immediate and urgent action to mitigate climate change.
Climate change action is not a political issue, as some would have us believe. It is an environmental, social, economic and ethical issue, and we are right now experiencing one of the most devastating effects predicted long ago by climate scientists, as a result of the warming and drying of our part of the Earth.
We need to take a stand on the issue of climate change, and what better way can there be for Council to demonstrate their support for action, than to leave Greta’s image on the window.
We understand that the “Window to Window” festival invites artists to paint images related to Christmas, and that those images remain on windows for a period of time at the discretion of the various establishments. We are asking Council to exercise their discretion on this occasion to allow this image to remain. The messages of Christmas are love, joy, peace and hope. What Greta symbolizes is a message of hope for the future and a great love for the wellbeing of the Earth and her fellow humankind.
Yours sincerely,
Peter Holmes
President - BSFG
To - Mayor and Councillors, Benalla Rural City URGENT
Dear Danny and fellow councillors,
I am writing on behalf of Benalla Sustainable Future Group, and many of the other people in our community who share our views, to earnestly request that Tim Bowtell’s painting of Greta Thunberg is retained on the Council Customer Service Centre window.
We view this painting as a powerful statement that here is a community that cares, not only about the present wellbeing of its citizens, but the future as well. Greta is a beacon of hope for millions of people, both young and old, around the world, and a hero for them as she challenges the world’s leaders to take immediate and urgent action to mitigate climate change.
Climate change action is not a political issue, as some would have us believe. It is an environmental, social, economic and ethical issue, and we are right now experiencing one of the most devastating effects predicted long ago by climate scientists, as a result of the warming and drying of our part of the Earth.
We need to take a stand on the issue of climate change, and what better way can there be for Council to demonstrate their support for action, than to leave Greta’s image on the window.
We understand that the “Window to Window” festival invites artists to paint images related to Christmas, and that those images remain on windows for a period of time at the discretion of the various establishments. We are asking Council to exercise their discretion on this occasion to allow this image to remain. The messages of Christmas are love, joy, peace and hope. What Greta symbolizes is a message of hope for the future and a great love for the wellbeing of the Earth and her fellow humankind.
Yours sincerely,
Peter Holmes
President - BSFG
