THE editorial ('COVID 'rollback' for the festive season', Opinion 3/12) states that "but it is to hope that our luck holds". It's not luck but good management by all the authorities that were involved in keeping us safe.
We have lost many people, we have people who will suffer from chronic COVID-19 problems but at present we have all but eliminated this virus.
While Australia waits for vaccine approval, we have to keep in mind it is not a matter of urgency that we receive the vaccine, but rather that we keep safe.
Follow all the previous precautions we have done in the past nine months. If we're adhering to all the precautions, most of us don't need vaccination urgently.
The ones who do include health care workers, the aged population and people in aged care, Indigenous Australians, and all NDIS people.
I myself am 70 and I believe in vaccination, but I'll wait until they have done all the above mentioned people. Let's not panic if we don't get the vaccine immediately, we might not get approval till the second quarter of 2021. In the meantime keep safe.
Peter Selmeci, Murrays Beach
Port's work could harbour past
I WAS thrilled with the news that Port of Newcastle will continue with the restoration of the historic Hydraulic Pump House at Carrington ('Hopes high for future as port pumps money into restoration', Newcastle Herald 3/12). Long overdue, this would make a perfect venue for our Maritime Museum before all is lost.
Tony Winton, Wallsend
We'll miss trains' helping hands
CATCHING a train from Adamstown station this week, I noticed the train guard setting up the ramp to allow a person in a wheelchair to exit the train at the station. Adamstown station is accessible via a lift now, as are Waratah and Wyee stations, but they are not staffed. There are other accessible but unstaffed stations on the Newcastle to Central and Hunter lines including Warabrook and Metford.
Some stations have only weekday staff. The new intercity train fleet is meant to have no guards and the trial of the new trains was delayed after a short strike by the Rail, Tram and Bus Union members over safety issues last Friday.
Thursday was the International Day of Disability, but that means nothing if wheelchair bound people and those with mobility issues would not be able to access the train at 'accessible' but unstaffed stations if no guards on the new intercity train fleet. There will be no one on the train responsible to set up a ramp at these unstaffed stations (Warabrook is the university station) if the new trains don't have guards. It's a shocking oversight by the NSW government and I'm glad the union took action.
Kerry Vernon, New Lambton
Maitland money spent differently
THIS week we saw Newcastle council's chief executive Jeremy Bath defending the $17.6 million fit-out of the new council administration building ("$17.6m move', Herald 4/12).
As part of his argument Mr Bath indicated that the project compared favourably in comparison to nearby councils:
"Lake Macquarie City Council is spending $17.8 million on its fit-out, Mid Coast Council has budgeted $20 million, and Maitland's project is budgeted at $28 million," Mr Bath said. But while the new Maitland Administration Building is expected to cost $28 million, Mr Bath has failed to mention that this is for construction of a brand new building which Maitland City Council will own and occupy. In comparison the Newcastle building was not a council funded construction job, but instead just a fit-out on a rental property under private ownership.
To compare the two projects and then claim your project is considerably favourable in comparison is the equivalent of comparing a lemon to an apple.
Cr Mitchell Griffin, Maitland City Council
Paving the way of progress
A BIG shout out to Terry and the boys from Hunter Wide Civil, who recently carried out footpath and driveway replacement in the area of Maud Street, Waratah West. Affected residents were kept well informed and nothing was a problem. It was a pleasure to have these guys in our area. Hopefully they get the contract for road resurfacing in King and Vera streets, which also need major works.
Tony Morley, Waratah
Flights of fancy into memory
IN about 1955 I was a kid that hung about Broadmeadow aerodrome almost every weekend, living for the day one of the pilots would invite us for a flight. It never happened.
They used to have an open show day annually. One year they rigged a propeller-driven siren to the strut of a Tiger Moth which took off and the announcement told the crowd that it was going to climb to ceiling level, go into a dive and attempt to break the sound barrier.
Unbeknown to the crowd and hidden in an empty hangar were a couple of club members with an empty, topless 44-gallon drum and a couple of tuppenny bungers. When the Tiger Moth commenced its dive the pilot released the siren's stop pin and its noise was the signal for the bungers to be lit. The critical timing turned out to be perfect. As the Moth screamed down, the boom went off just before the pilot pulled out of the dive and the crowd roared.
I'm 78 years old now and there's an ageing Tiger Moth that does joy flights that fly over our place on weekends. I know its engine sound so well that my wife's sick of me saying "there goes the Moth". A few weeks ago I heard the sound, but it sounded really loud. I had to have a look, and it was two of them. I haven't lived there for a long time but still call Newcastle home.
David Balchin, Scarborough
Emission submission's omission
LORD mayor, congratulations on your excellent article last week ('We owe our kids ambitious climate targets', Opinion 1/12). You write about the City of Newcastle taking meaningful action towards reducing global warming and taking measurable steps to rescue its carbon emissions. You state the aim is of reaching net zero emissions by 2030. Wow, how wonderful that will be and how proud we Novocastrians would be about this move towards becoming a green city. You sound like a politician with great vision in the article. Prioritising clean energy, reducing emissions, supporting sustainable infrastructure, encouraging renewable energy projects and tackling a generational challenge are all wonderful ideals and ones we could all be proud of.
How devastating it is to read today ("Supercars seals early 2022 Newcastle return', Herald 3/12) that you still support Supercars returning to Newcastle in 2022; how can you support these V8 car races which are highly polluting of air, roads and waterways as well as being unhealthy for our hearing and deny us our local beaches and amenities for much of summer 2022? Supercars also encourages reckless attitudes to driving in our young people and are at best brown, undoing many of the ideals of a green city.
Kerry Fagan, Newcastle East
THE POLL
THE 2022 Supercars dates are:
Better 51%, worse 49%
SHORT TAKES
REGARDING the cyclists hit by the car ('Cyclists struck by car', Newcastle Herald 1/12), why do so many insist on riding on the very edge of the car lane? This pushes any vehicle a metre closer to oncoming traffic. Cyclists have two to three metre lanes to travel in. Do they really need to travel two or three abreast? This need to cycle side by side puts motorists in a very frightening situation and in my opinion is a very selfish action by a group of self-entitled people.
Wayne Marshall, Salamander Bay
KATH Bow (Short Takes, 2/12), as a cyclist myself I take the comments as another attempt to place the blame for an incident on the cyclists for this incident. A quick look at the facts shows that the cyclist was not on a cycleway, but riding wholly within the breakdown lane. Regardless of which side of the line the cyclist was riding, and he would have legally been entitled to ride on the road but chose the apparent safety of the breakdown lane, the onus is on the motorist to avoid the cyclist by one to 1.5 metres, dependent on the speed limit on that section of road. A little less haste and more consideration by all would be a great start to avoiding such incidents.
Col Tagg, Fullerton Cove
City of Newcastle's Jeremy Bath certainly gave this newspaper a serve in his article last Saturday ('Council makes itself clear on transparency', Opinion 28/11). As an avid reader of this publication I found the article to be rather offensive and think our journalists do a wonderful job in keeping the public informed on important matters. Certainly, there can be varying opinions but overall they get the point across. Mr Bath states "Despite what the Herald may claim, the City of Newcastle is arguably the most transparent local government in the region''. Mr Bath does have a point with the word transparent and I would like to point out that we, the ratepayers, can see through a lot of what some of the bureaucratic bulldust is also.
Col Parkins, Wallsend
CONGRATULATIONS to Donna Page and the Newcastle Herald for finally squeezing the truth out of the City of Newcastle regarding the office move ('$17.6m move', Herald 4/12). This gross waste of ratepayers' hard-earned money will be felt for some time to come. It is time the ratepayers stood up and got rid of the voting bloc in this council. The Labor bloc is being used to rubber stamp the decisions made with no thought of the many aged ratepayers who are battling to pay their rates. Instead of petty motions censuring councillors we need people who have the ratepayers at heart that will make truly well thought out, independent decisions. In short we need to vote for change at the next election.
Sandy Buchanan, Largs
REGARDING Jeremy Bath ('Council makes itself clear on transparency", Opinion 28/11), the article was very critical of the Newcastle Herald, so full marks to the Herald for printing it. To me the article further enhanced the bumptious attitude of the workings and discussion making of our council and its executives.
