Letter of complaint about Cobram man Darren Laffan’s horn in his mailbox
Read the scathing letter the neighbor sent to a charity worker complaining about friends constantly honking on a quiet residential street – but do they have a point?
- Letter about horn toots divides locals
- Well-known charity worker posts question
- It wants supporters and friends to stop honking
An anonymous letter asking a well-known charity worker to stop his ‘friends and followers’ from honking outside his home has divided locals.
The letter was left in Darren Laffan’s mailbox in the Northern Border Victorian town of Cobram before he posted a photo of it on Facebook.
Mr Laffran, who is known for helping local farmers, wrote despite the letter being addressed to ‘Dear Neighbours’ it appeared to be addressed only to him.
“While we appreciate your charity and what you do for our farmers, we don’t appreciate your friends and followers honking every time they drive past your house,” the letter reads.
“This has been happening day and night, every day, for almost the entire year you’ve lived here. Besides being extremely annoying and waking people up, it’s illegal to blow your horn, except in emergency situations.”
This letter was left in the mailbox of North Victorian Darren Laffan, who is known for his charitable work
The letter ended by asking Mr Laffran to share the message with his friends and followers to stop honking.
Mr Laffran said he would refuse to bow to the demands of the letter writer who had asked him to share the message with his friends and followers on Facebook.
“Mine isn’t the only house on the street, I’m not sure how you can point this at me,” he wrote.
“And no, I won’t post on the charity’s Facebook page unless you can prove that’s what it’s aimed at.”
Social media users were divided on the reasonableness of the letter.
“No need to tour the horns. Show your support in a way that doesn’t scare off your neighbours.. a pretty reasonable thing to do,” one person wrote
“I’d find constant honking annoying too,” another agreed.
A comment endorsing this sentiment noted that the letter had a legal point.
“Yes and doing this is actually against the law now in Victoria. There is also a fairly large fine on it,” it said.
Mr. Laffran (pictured right) is a well-known charity worker who supports farmers in his region
The peace and quiet of the northern Victoria town of Cobram is disturbed day and night by car horns outside the home of a popular resident, according to an anonymous letter writer
Others thought the letter was out of order, especially given Mr Laffran’s efforts to help farmers by coordinating hay drives for the Need for Feed program.
He has also helped struggling dairy farmers with donations of food, equipment and vehicles, leading to his being recognized with a Cobram Rotary Citizen of Distinction award last year.
“Thank you for your selfless service to those in need,” one person wrote.
“Maybe your neighbor can help instead of complaining.”
“Sounds like you have some pretty lousy neighbors. So glad they don’t depend on farmers for their food!!’ said another.
A number of people objected to the fact that the letter had been delivered anonymously.
“They can’t just knock on your door and talk about it, can they?” said one.
Very passive aggressive. They don’t have the courage to speak directly,” another commented.