I REMEMBER it as if it was yesterday: peace.
I remember being sent home from school, making rattlers out of syrup cans, putting a hole in both ends, putting string through and a couple of rocks and then dragging it up and down the road to celebrate. I remember a couple of days later, B for Bertie; a huge Lancaster bomber flying over our home, taking a full turn and flying low with the pilots, gunners and other crew waving to those on the ground.
I remember the local policeman riding his old Indian motorbike with a sidecar coming up the road sounding his horn and the locals clapping him in appreciation of his service to the community. We all then waited for our brave men to return and they all were welcomed home as heroes.
Those were the days. Police had respect, not contempt. The laws were black and white and were administered without fear or favour and the punishments dealt out accordingly.
Not so now. Our police in general are treated poorly, their support is minimal. In my opinion it is no wonder that so many are either off on stress leave or treated poorly. I believe they have no support from the courts, public and worst of all their superiors; they just get hung out to dry. There's no respect for anyone any more; just self, self, self, and they call this progress. I think not.
I believe it's time to get rid of political correctness and out of step judges. Bring back harsher sentencing and respect for our overworked, underpaid police and start to think of others rather than ourselves. Then maybe, just maybe, we all will experience what it really feels like to be an Australian back then. Sorry, but they really were the good old days.
Dennis Crampton, Swansea
Wide open spaces a better fit
WHILE historically Warabrook was an area of finishing paddocks and an abattoir for meat supply in the Newcastle area, it has long shrugged off that history and is now an industrial and housing estate. While many industries find their home there, I believe is it unwise to have a pet crematorium among such developments ('Council staff back brewer', Newcastle Herald 18/8). It is wiser to have such a place in a more rural setting and so this development proposal should not proceed though the Newcastle City Council officers are advising support for this. I do not live in the area but I do feel for the people who live there.
The claim that the emissions fall within the EPA guidelines are of little comfort as in my opinion the EPA is not always a body we can rely upon. We found that the EPA took no action, and continues to take no action, against a major polluter in our area, namely the RAAF base, over the PFAS pollution that they were aware of over 20 years ago. I believe the guidelines that they speak of are not so relevant to us anymore as they have been unable or unwilling to stop a huge polluter and yet they will pick on a small polluter as we have seen in recent years.
There are many areas where such a business could be established with a rural setting accompanied by parks and gardens that will isolate the emissions from the daily lives of the people who live in the Warabrook community.
Milton Caine, Birmingham Gardens
Knights must keep swords sharp
WHAT a whinger Manly's coach Des Hasler has become. He had a snipe at the referee Ashley Klein awarding the penalties 11 to four in favour of the Knights. I reckon he was pretty fair to Manly.
The referee overlooked two blatant head high tackles on Ponga in the first half. After the first one, Manly got the ball and scored in that set. In my opinion Hasler ought to look at previous games that Klein has handled with his team and got the rub of the green. He's got a short memory.
I think the Knights played a lot better in the first round against them and got away with a scrappy win this time. They will have to be at their best next week, as from what I have seen of the Cowboys in the last couple of weeks they look a lot better than when they beat the Knights a few weeks ago.
Allen Small, East Maitland
Bureaucracy becomes virulent
AT present I believe we as Australians should be disgusted by what our politicians have molded our country into. A couple in Casino were reportedly denied access to their newborn who was transported to Brisbane into ICU because the Queensland politics deemed that they could have posed a COVID breach, and yet a Melbourne student who attended a protest over refugees was fined a paltry $500 and allowed to stay and received no criminal conviction. The parents of this sick newborn didn't even come from a virus hot spot.
I think this is ridiculous. What has our country become, a bunch of vote-grabbing politicians who don't give a damn about Australians, and the army being held accountable for their inactions? If you supervise a crew on a work site and a death occurs you would be accountable along with the corporate body that made you the supervisor. But being a politician in the age of COVID, these rules don't seem to apply.
What has this country become; a totalitarian community run by incompetent politicians? I hope those parents finally cut through the red tape and reunite with their newborn child. If you want to really want to know what our country is turning into, I suggest you watch Paul Murray. He pulls no punches; a true down to earth Aussie.
Graeme Kime, Cameron Park
Naval spies need not be spry
OUR security intelligence service has raised concerns foreign spies are involved in covert activities in and around our naval ship construction sites. There was more than a whiff of Cold War hyperbole attached to the concerns expressed by our spooks.
For apart from the people smugglers Scott Morrison stopped, who else would be interested in covertly assessing our naval strength? It's unlikely China would be; although if proven, that would play well among the Coalition's anti-China lobby. However, history shows China has no need to act covertly when checking out our naval capacity. This was demonstrated on Monday June 3, 2019. On that day, Sydney Harbour side residents woke to find three Chinese warships which had arrived unannounced into Sydney Harbour moored less than a kilometre from our fleet base at Garden Island. Even the most rabid among the anti-China lobby would probably admit this was possibly not a great example of Chinese covert activity.
The ongoing international bun fight over our delayed and problem-ridden submarines and the well-publicised failings of Australia's naval assets bought second hand at inflated cost leave little, if anything, secret enough to make covert spying of our naval assets necessary.
Barry Swan, Balgownie
SHARE YOUR OPINION
Email letters@newcastleherald.com.au or send a text message to 0427 154 176 (include name, suburb). Letters should be fewer than 200 words and Short Takes fewer than 50 words. Correspondence may be edited and reproduced in any form.
SHORT TAKES
OFTEN lately, I hear media commentators referring to the COVID-19 virus as the enemy. But it is just a virus incapable of devious intent. It is a product of the natural world impacted by our incessant quest for profit and convenience. We had been warned and shrugged it off as we drove to shops full of the plastic-wrapped fruits of monocultures. Our politicians echo our discomfort at the inconvenience and ply us with hopes of a timely return normal; global flights, gridlock, and busy malls. Reflection on the lessons of isolation and the value of relationships will be thrown under the driverless bus. The enemy is not the virus, it is us.
Peter Ronne, Woodberry
VICTORIAN Premier Dan Andrews fronts the media every day and takes all questions. Our PM seems to be an expert in deflecting blame, avoiding scrutiny and walking out on reporters' questions. Mr Morrison failed the leadership test in the fires and now during the virus, in my opinion.
Mac Maguire, Charlestown
I VISIT numerous venues on a daily basis as part of my work and can tell you overwhelmingly owners are all over the protection measures to keep their patrons safe. Come on Newcastle let's get out there and support our wonderful pubs, clubs and cafes and thank them for providing an establishment we can all be proud of.
Scott Dorman, The Junction
AFTER her health department's total failure to handle the Ruby Princess disaster, Gladys Berejiklian planned to read Bret Walker's highly critical report 'over the weekend'. Hopefully she went out, too.
John Butler, Windella Downs
IF the buck stops with you, then do something about it SquirMo. Aged care is a disgrace and this Prime Minister is proving he is not our saving grace.
Samuel Rogers, Redhead
IN reply to Jeff Corbett ('Tortured by camp tunes', Opinion 15/8) methinks is getting a bit cranky. The young at heart should listen more thoughtfully to the epistles from on high. It's a good thing you have this forum to vent on as we nomads of the grey variety need to listen and loosen up with our hopes and dreams for these youngsters. Please don't take a backward step from your ideals for our society and push your points more.
John Bradford, Beresfield
THE coal story goes from bad to worse ("Origin keen for talks on coal-trucking plan", Herald, 14/8). I feel for residents of Morisset, drivers and the council. Will Centennial pay the road maintenance bills? With 62,500 truck trips per year, or 170 per day, the risk of a serious accident is magnified. Coal mining is already dangerous enough without this added threat to health.
Ray Peck, Hawthorn
I HEARTILY agree with Sandra Harris (Letters, 12/8). Prior to COVID-19 there was three hours free parking, but in the past few months there was unlimited parking for free. How can they encourage patrons with only a two-hour free limit? What about seniors, who do not have access to the new app giving you four hours parking?
