Been having some major health problems lately so there’s the chance I won’t be around to see the 2032 Olympics in the city of my birth.

And that might be for the best, after reading David Fagan’s article in InQueensland.

His intro goes a long way to nailing the tenor of his piece. “Athletics at Nathan. Aquatics at Chandler. The Games 2032 feel like a rerun of the Games 1982. So where’s Matilda?”

Fagan’s piece is disjointed, illogical and inaccurate and flies in the face of the news site’s claim to have some of the state’s finest writers on board.

Take this early par for example.

“Time is still on our side to get this right but the time is not right for this or any government to be telling the community it intends to spend multi-billions on new sporting stadiums when their votes are guided by concerns at insufficient spending on health, crime and housing.”

What absolute rot. This government does not intend to spend multi-billions on new stadiums. It is not telling the community it is doing that.

David, Premier Steven Miles’ “patchwork” decisions that you lambaste so much does the exact opposite of that. He put the kybosh on Graham Quirk’s brand spanking new stadium in Victoria Park, citing concern by Queenslanders struggling with cost of living pressures.

While you can’t be blamed for the standfirst to your article that says Quirk’s report “has the sniff of impressive research and planning for the future” you well and truly bagged his new-stadium centrepiece. And then there’s this: “Then the government got involved and we’re back to where we started”. Absolutely wrong for a journalist of any standing to write that. Ditching a complete Gabba rebuild is not going back to where we started.

While it’s nice to see you backing up Madonna King’s earlier piece in InQueensland where she claimed Miles is finished if he doesn’t axe the Games – one of the silliest things I’ve read for a while – the two of you risk coming across by some as tag-team Tories hell bent on dragging the Olympics down and bagging Queensland Labor at many a turn.

Here’s the embarrassing contradiction in your piece. You rail against new stadiums, you make some valid points about the distance between venues and possible transport woes, but if the government’s plans go ahead, we’re going to be seen by the world as hicksville because we’ll be using a 50-year-old stadium.

You wrote: “An important part of that legacy is not just the physical infrastructure but how we are seen. My concern is that, necessary as Steven Miles’ decision was this week, we will be seen as hicksville compared with the cohesive venues traditionally put together for Olympics and Paralympics.”

You seem to have forgotten that Brisbane was the only contender for the 2032 Games. The River City when this Olympiad is done and dusted will he lauded for its largely no-frills, “we’ll tart up what we’ve got” process that might just keep the Olympic flame alight down the track.

Here’s some more of your nonsense.

“The movement of both athletics and acquatucs (we’re still looking that one) so far out of the city are hindered by the absence of decent public transport. They are also so separated from each other, the disparate Games venues and the northside athletes’ village that it’s hard to see how the magic Olympic atmosphere can be created in this city in 2032.”

What tommy rot. David, once the Games begin and records fall and medals are awarded, the watching world won’t give a rat’s arse about an hour it might have taken to get athletes from their village to venues, or indeed spectators to or between those venues. They won’t give a flying fuck what the track and field venue looks like. Aside: it’ll probably look fine, anyway.

Queenslanders and others happily – okay, that might be a stretch – found their way out to Nathan back in 1982 for the Commonwealth Games when transport options were far worse than they are today with express buses that run beside the venue. We’ve got seven years to improve on that.

Here’s another bizarre offering, where you probably make some good points about spending too much on tarting up the Gabba but then come up with this.

“So cricket lovers, get used to seeing the dead rubber Test matches rather than the season openers that have long been part of our life.”

David, over a half a century, I’ve seen more than my fair share of first balls bowled in an Ashes series. I was there for the Steve Harmison delivery to second slip that kicked off the 2006-7 series.

And yes it’s sad that the Gabba appears to have permanently lost its role as Ashes opener.

But your knowledge is woeful. The next two summers see India and England touring for five-Test series. Brisbane will host the third Test next summer against India and will most likely do the same against the mighty enemy.

Neither of those matches, according to logic and basic arithmetic, can be dead rubbers! But there is a possibility that a shorter series could be decided at the Gabba, preferably Australia’s way, and that would be exciting. The bottom line: five-test series against crowd-pulling sides will still be around after the Gabba has, rightly or wrongly, been retweaked. No dead rubbers there, dear boy, unless somehow Brisbane steals the Boxing Day and New Year’s Tests off you might know who.

As a Brisbane boy bred and born in that order, I’m chuffed that my home town will host the Olympics in 2032. Never thought I’d see that in my lifetime which might still be true.

We’ll be the smallest city to every host the event. We might just be playing a vital role in keeping your “five-ring circus” alive.

And we’ll do a cracking job at least the equal of Sydney’s effort in 2000 in the eyes of the world.

Brisbane will do Australia proud. The world will be watching the planet’s finest athletics competing for glory. It won’t be saying: “Oh dear, look at that pathetic recycled stadium. What a hicksville! Who’d ever want to holiday in Queensland! And where the fuck is Matilda!

Don Gordon-Brown

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