Persuasive Writing Folio - Assignment Example

To the Editor The Rural Times I have been an avid reader of your newspaper for quite some time now. The Rural Times’ reporting and integrity in publishing news and other commendable stories helped propelled us into taking the same route. It paved the way for discovering the niche in providing straightforward news that is not limited to the Metro. It informs the public that beyond the glitz and glamour and the violence that is often rampant in the cities, the rural towns also provide interests stories that are light, often heartwarming and most importantly news worthy. This proves that news does not need to be negative and that there are many aspects to what is happening all over the country. I am from the town of Bilby and I hope there are more features to let people know of our hospitable town. It is a small place that not many know for it sits east of the mountains off the main road. It started as a gold mining community but as the precious metal petered out it had remained an agricultural community. It is composed of immigrants who have come from different backgrounds including some English, Scots, Irish, Chinese and some Italian after World War II. The closest shopping district is Bendelong which is about 30 minutes where townsfolk go for other purchases. The people have renewed interest in reforestation to maintain the lush environment which comprised of the Valley River which can be seen from the plateau and the Hundred Nugget Creek which is the boundary of the town. During the heydays of its mining industry, the town was flourishing with different enterprises that people have come to love which included three pubs which has ignited the people’s love for sports such as cricket, football and many others. The 90’s brought about massive change in the town. In 1998 Valerie Geraint, a colleague from a TV station of Myfanwy Fallenby who had been a local since she moved to Sydney, visited the town of Bilby and decided to make it the location for the new show ‘City Stress, Country Pleasures. This reinvigorated the town as people came in to see the town as others decided to settle in seeing it as a haven for a new lifestyle. But problems ensued as the sudden rise in population divided the town among opposing ideas. The need for key services such as a hospital and ancillary facilities was contested for it will have to demolish the graveyard site. This has been the dilemma of the town which keeps it from moving forward. I believe that the capacity of the media to inform of balanced news will be essential in amending this difference of belief and leading the way to the progress of everyone in the community. I hope that there are more features that constitute the town of Bilby to let others know of the charm of our little town and shed light to the ongoing debate. The Rural Times as a vanguard of objective journalism will greatly help the town and alleviate the disagreements that have arisen recently. Word Count: 513 Bilby Business Association Media Release Your name and title Phone office: 5656 5656 Your Organisation Phone home: 5757 5757 77 your address Avenue Fax: 5858 5858 Bilby, 3345 email: yourname@deakin.edu.au 7 May 2010 For immediate release Bilby Graveyard: A Historical Treasure! The Bilby Historical Society will showcase an interactive presentation to be held at the Bilby Museum on May 11, Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. the event will showcase the progression of the town starting from the Gold Rush to the recent years highlighting the arrival of the TV show City Stress, Country Pleasures. The show’s producer Valerie Geranini will lead the program. The special event is aimed to raise interest in the preservation of the graveyard site as an important part of a regional history. Its conservation is to the benefit of everyone who has their loved ones buried in the site. The Trust Society of Victoria has already verified that this is no ordinary cemetery with its historical importance. The campaign in declaring it a heritage site is already on the works led by Babs Philpott. The Trust Committee has already been working on to draft a proposal that would convince authorities to preserve the site. A hospital can be constructed anytime at any other given place but the graveyard can never be restored once it has already been destroyed. The program will jump off with the interactive multimedia presentation. A question and answer portion will be provided to allow people a chance to ask questions to the representatives of the Bilby Historical Society to enlighten them on the group’s advocacy. Snacks and refreshment will be made available throughout the entire occasion. Everyone is enjoined in this program which upholds why the graveyard is an important landmark not only in Bilby but in the entire region. -End- Word Count: 256 If there is one person responsible for the sudden change and interest in the town of Bilby it would have to be Myfanwy Fallenby. A pride of the community, Myfanwy is a well-known artist cherished by the people. The dyeing factory ‘Material Design’ produced the fabrics which Myfanwy has originally designed. The company has started in 1991 and has since continued to create materials for different garments that range from scarves to shirts to clothes sold exclusively at outlets located in Southbank and Double Bay. Myfanwy Fallenby created a name in the television industry which relocated her to Sydney where she lived and worked for some time before deciding to return to Bilby. In her mid-forties, her endeavor ‘Material Design’ helps out to provide employment to local people, majority of them women. Through the Craft Cooperative, she has reached out to more and ignited the design and crafts market for Bilby. She has also advocated for the preservation of the graveyard which is being threatened by the construction of a new hospital under the auspices of the Bilby Business association. To impede this devastation to a historical landmark in the community, two of her craft group members are already in the works of writing a book that outline the history of the families within the community and their importance to the people inhabiting the town. This is done through the tracing of different documents that include old newspaper clips from ‘Bendalong Beacon,’ the primary regional paper which has been in existence for 130 years. Myfanwy is a vibrant force in the town. Her family has been rooted in Bilby for generations who migrated during the Gold Rush. When the gold has petered out, her family was among the few who decided to settle in town. It was her connection with television production which paved the way for the town to be known elsewhere. When her colleague Valerie Geranini visited for an exhibition in 1998, she discovered the potential of the place as a television location. The town and its surrounding area with a 9,700 population became an idyllic location for a new television series, ‘City Stress, Country Pleasures.’ The show’s success propelled the town to be perceived as an ideal tourist and residential spot for people who wished to live in a peaceful community. The sudden boom in population also brought about the need for many services that the authorities take pain to meet. Chops Lambert, the person insistent upon the graveyard as a hospital location received Myfanwy’s ire in a public meeting. She was quoted saying to him, “Well, Chops, I suppose you feel that digging people out of their graves and trampling over the last resting place of our ancestors is fine, so long as you can make some money with development at any cost.” The current calls for preserving the dignity of the graveyard are seen as an important challenge for Myfanwy Fallenby and other members of the community. The significance of the graveyard as a heritage site was already concurred by the Trust Society of Victoria. The place contains not only the bones but the memory of the people close to the people of Bilby and this should not be compromised for a hospital that can be erected anywhere else. Word Count: 544 Read More