Welcome to Water Week from 20th to 26th October and it is my favourite time of the year.

This year’s theme is “Water for all” inspiring action and encouraging wise water use which sounds good to me.

It is also raising community awareness about water related issues - well, have I got information for you.

All I ask of you is to walk any section of One Mile Creek on the walk and bike path in Wangaratta and have a good look and you will see heaps of water related issues.

I could just cry at the amount of rubbish, weeds, invasive plants, garden escapees and overgrown Phragmites along the creek, along with my pet hate, trolleys.

I took my first small walk at Wareena Wetlands a couple of weeks ago, and I reported to council my concerns and thanks to wonderful staff workers the next weekend it was all cleaned up and it made me feel wonderful.

I can’t do it all on my own as I have breathing difficulties and have had it for the past four years, thanks to a COVID vaccine, so if you see problems along One Mile Creek or any other waterway please report it to council or North East Catchment Management Authority or call me (0439 020 448) and we can work on it together.

Please remember water gives life and is a God given resource, so think before you waste it.

Diane Farmer, Wangaratta

Time to payout Co-Store carpark to end the misery

Regarding Matthew Barry, with his comments about the possible effects of the new parking system in the CBD on businesses (Wangaratta Chronicle, 20 October).

He really highlights a situation of potential shoppers going elsewhere and Wangaratta getting a reputation of a place to avoid.

That needs to be dealt with as quickly as possible.

I have spoken to the mayor and a councilor and the major problem, as I understand it, stopping the council from introducing ‘free parking’ is the long standing, indefinite contract with the owners of the Co-Store multi-level carpark, which has a clause that ties the council to only having on street parking with parking fees that match the Co-Store fees.

What the situation is during the Christmas-New Year period when free on street parking happens, I don’t know.

I believe that in some way the council has to free itself from the Co-Store contract.

Either in some way pay it out, or pay a weekly amount, in order that the Co-Store parking can be free.

Or have a number of bays that businesses can rent for their staff on a weekly basis.

Whatever, it cannot be allowed to continue as it is.

John Moore, Wangaratta

Record-breaking flu, as vaccination rates stall

GPs are sounding the alarm on Australia’s influenza vaccination rates, following a record flu season in which more than 410,000 lab-confirmed cases have been reported so far in 2025.

The startling case numbers have already outstripped the previous all-time high of 365,000, recorded last year, and are a wake-up call to boost vaccination rates and reverse this trend.

Getting vaccinated not only help keeps yourself as safe as possible, but also your friends and family members.

Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia have committed to introducing free childhood intranasal vaccinations ahead of the 2026 flu season and we would like to see other states and territories do the same.

Needle-free vaccinations make such a difference.

Dr Michael Wright, president of Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP)