Centralian Advocate, Tuesday, November 1, 2011 — 7

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P H O T O E S S A Y

Picture: JUSTIN BRIERTY Words: LIONEL GRANT

IF you look at the control tower asyou land at Alice Springs Airportyou may not realise the staff insideit handle up to 90 landings andtakeoffs a day. So, Qantas ground-ing or no grounding, they’re busy.

There are not the big city radars andscreens you see in the movies atthis central processing unit.

Air Traffic Controller Dave Goodes(pictured left with Kirsty Campbell)said: ‘‘On a daily basis we handleeverything from the bigger 737s tothe single person in his little planewho is bringing it in from theoutback for a service.

‘‘We keep them all separated withinabout a 70 kilometre radius and allby mental processing.’’

Being an air traffic controller at anaerodrome that lands one of theworld’s largest aircraft, theLockheed C5 Galaxy, may well be ajob with a great deal of responsibil-ity but the role also has a true feel-good factor.

Air Traffic Controller Paul Baishontsaid: ‘‘I think if we’ve had a busyburst, when it’s all finished andeveryone’s happily on the ground oraway again, knowing you’ve man-aged it safely and efficiently is prettyrewarding.’’

Not to mention the view across theMacDonnell Ranges from theirperch. ‘‘We have the best office inAlice Springs,’’ adds Dave.

It’s clear that life in the tower, whereyou may deal with anything from thetrauma of a stricken light aircraftputting down in the distance, orattend to a 747 diverting for amedical emergency, is never a dullmoment.

Thankful

for what

we haveThe assertion (ABCNews 25/10) by aprominent local MLAthat Alice Springs is‘‘economically, sociallyand culturally sick’’ isneither helpful norcorrect.

That the CBD has afew businesses whichhave closed or relocatedis a reality.

So is the fact thatsome new ones (e.g. theformer QC Restaurantcurrently underrenovation) areopening.

Expensive rentscharged by owners ofcommercial propertiesdon’t help with the

promotion or exposureof small business.

The social fabric ofthis town remainsrobust and thriving asmany who continue tolive here can attest to.

The vast majority ofthe people are friendly,supportive andinvigorating.

The continuingimpact of a strong andvibrant mix of cultureswithin The Aliceremain available forthose who wish toembrace them.

We are are a multi-cultural town with some28 differentnationalities beingrepresented.

Those of us in theindustry are all acutelyaware that tourism isbeing heavily impactedon, invariablyinfluenced by thenegative media imagesportrayed by some local,

national and globalmedia over the past18-24 months (especiallythe summer of 2010/11)as well as the influenceand impact of thelingering GFC, highAustralian dollar andother social/economicdeterminants.

We do have the spirit,however, to build it upagain. Like all economicbenchmarks, it’scyclical.

Many other placesaround the country andthe planet are alsoexperiencing a declinein tourist numbers.

Take a look at Cairnsand other regionalareas for example.

‘Perception 101’ offersus all the opportunity totalk our town ‘up’ toeach other and to theworld.

Focus on the positiveand that’s what we’llachieve.

Focus on thealternative and youreap what you sow.

Attempts at short-term party politicalpoint-scoring to thedetriment of long-termsustainable growth iscounter-productive to atown that has anessence of manysensational people, awealth of spirit and abright, progressivefuture.

Phil Walcott

Alice Springs

your thoughts

TEXT

0421 261 177Keep busy

More trees

Aquarium Tower

AN outdoor amphitheatre andspace for youth — skate park andoutdoor basketball court perhaps —would be great for Melanka to havethe space and always be busy.

Detail suppliedAlice Springs

Melanka: Leave it as a publicpark, plant a few more trees andleave it, it’s a beautiful open space.

Detail suppliedAlice Springs

We have loads of cultural centresalready. Definitely something thatshowcases Alice but something forthe locals too.

What we are missing is a niceplace to go and relax that’s differentto the normal coffee shop i.e. atropical aquarium would be good, as

would a tower that had a lounge orbar; something like cafe and shopsunderneath, but an attractionabove.

It’s really time locals had a nicespot that’s not as targeted to tour-ists but will bring them anyway!

Emaly ScholefieldAlice Springs

Alice definitely should have atower. I think we need a high-quality revolving restaurant whereyou can see the view from everyangle.

BlueAlice Springs