WE must at all costs, preserve and protect our grand lady's soft and sandy bottom. Newcastle's iconic ocean baths are nearly 110 years young. It symbolises Newcastle and possesses a unique and invaluable cultural and social fabric or ambience of comradeship, egalitarianism, and inclusiveness. It also has a general disdain for show offs and pretenders.
Many of our baths' endearing patrons of all ages depend upon the soft sandy bottom for daily fitness and hydrotherapy activities of walking, jogging or bobbing across the baths. The sandy bottom also provides therapeutic type massage for those with circulation problems.
I believe this is now under likely serious imminent threat. Council documents reveal it will impose a concrete bottom, covering the existing natural rock shelf base (Herald, 24/8).The documents say it will make regular weekly maintenance easier. Nothing to do with climate change or improving water quality.
Council has been unable to categorically guarantee a new smooth concrete bottom would achieve the same or better levels of even sand retention and distribution as currently occurs. Merewether baths, with its twice weekly cleaning, concrete bottom and accumulation of slime, cannot apparently satisfy this important core requirement.
I believe there has been ineffective community consultation on these important issues despite the existence of a constrained community reference panel. We also need to know now before the next election, the true extent of the baths' proposed commercialisation, changeroom redesign and use of the pavilion. Our baths' natural rock/sandy bottom is definitely worth retaining. As they say, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".
Tony Brown, Newcastle
Time ripe for post-presence voting
PAUL Scott nailed it in his article concerning our right to vote and COVID, ("Boot the booths", Opinion 24/8), when he said "delayed democracy allows representatives at any level of government not doing a good job to haunt the corridors of power for longer than voters desire or deserve". Scott continued by saying that perhaps the answer lies with online voting and that would be safer and faster.
It is my opinion the arduous chore of physical handling of paper voting slips could be eliminated. We already have postal votes, so that could continue for those not computer literate. Novocastrians are ready now to vote in council elections and the sooner the better for state and federal election as well.
I want to look forward to schlepping into my kitchen to grab a coffee and my trusty iPad under my arm ready to vote without leaving the house. I've never seen voting at my local school, and waiting in a long line to do so, as a social event.
Thanks again, Paul Scott.
Denise Lindus Trummel, Mayfield
Altruism is in eye of the beholder
PERSPECTIVE is a funny thing. Sally Lucas, (Letters, 21/8) speaks to the verbal barrage from the dastardly premiers of WA, Queensland and Victoria. Mark McGowan comes in for special treatment having been born in Newcastle. Alas, not one word of criticism for that Gutwein bloke down south. Try getting into Tasmania anytime in the next six months. I wish you luck.
No, Ms Lucas, in my view Gladys and Scott Morrison are not icons of virtue working tirelessly with their eyes solely on the public good for all. Scratch the surface and underneath I believe you will find a whole heap of political self-interest, a marvellous capacity for deflection of responsibility and lots and lots of spin.
Robert Gol, Carrington
Abolishing tier a stately shift
WITH reference to Bill Snow's idea to split the state in two: I would go 180 degrees the other way and get rid of the states. Because of the tyranny of distance at federation we had to have states because it was too far to travel from ,say, Torres Strait to Canberra. Look at the pandemic. We need strong national leadership, not what we are getting now with the premiers bickering with the prime minister over their patch and a cobbled up national (?) approach.
If all the building, legal, health and teaching standards were the same it would be much better. The Murray Darling would be much better with one body running it rather than three states fighting turf wars. We now have states making decisions against the national interest, because there is something in it for their state. Big business should be for it because it streamlines decisions and speeds things up. In reality they pay lip service to it because they like playing the states off against each other for their own ends. Political talent is thin enough on the ground without diluting it through eight separate houses. From Newcastle's point of view, we would get much better treatment from Canberra than Sydney.
It won't happen of course, no politician will vote himself out of office, and entrenched bureaucrats will just stall until after the next election.
Peter Hay, Islington
Lake's nooks deserve protection
I SHARE Robert Baxter's concern about the present state, and apparent future, of Edmunds Bay, Blackalls Park, (Letters, 21/8). The weed/seaweed/aquatic weed (whatever it is) to which he refers is not only on the eastern shore of the bay, but many patches of it extend out over the surface of the water on the eastern half of the bay. In addition to this, for many many months now large areas of the water surface of the western half of the bay have become progressively blanketed in thick weed which has now become so dense that it is almost impossible to paddle or row any watercraft through it..
Out beyond those infestations, although the water surface appears relatively clear, the weed growth is only inches below the surface. Edmunds Bay is indeed suffocating, as Mr Baxter says. I fear that, unless some quick remedial action is taken by the appropriate authority, which I believe to be Lake Macquarie City Council, Edmunds Bay will fast become Edmunds Swamp.
Louis Pirona, Blackalls Park
Comparison lacked all the facts
DON Owers' (Letters, 26/8) comparison between the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Afghanistan and Origin's exploration in the Northern Territory was in poor taste and lacking any grounding in facts. The claim our project will force the Gunnai, Yorta Yorta and Wurundjeri people, who are First Nations people from Victoria, off their land has no foundation. Origin has not applied for, nor received, any funding from the government for our Beetaloo Exploration Project - we fully fund the activity with joint venture partners. We work closely with Native Title holders where our activities take place and their representative body, the Northern Land Council. They support our presence. We understand some people will have different views on gas development and we welcome a healthy discussion, but it must be grounded in fact.
Chris White, GM Beetaloo and Growth Assets, Origin
SHORT TAKES
SPARE a thought for our police and frontline workers who are copping abuse. They are our fathers, brothers, sisters and husbands who all want to go home at night to their families free of the COVID infection. They put their lives on the line for us and must be congratulated. Thank you doesn't quite seem to be good enough.
Sue Burrough, Carey Bay
REGARDING Monday's page (Letters, 23/8) I have got to say I'm shocked. Got to say I'm shocked: I agree with everybody. It has to be a first.
Brian Dirou, Cooks Hill
I can recall from years ago that people, as well as the Herald, showed a modicum of respect to political leaders, even if we didn't agree with them or their policies. Now we resort to altering the names of politicians.
James Elliott, Cardiff
I FEAR the writing is on the wall with the Knights, that some players are starting to see there is no chance of winning a comp and are now scrambling off the ship. In my opinion it's obvious Watson saw that and took a pay cut so he can be coached and make a difference in a side, and the bonus is he could possibly win a comp. It won't happen here for a long while. We are now picking up second-rate players from other teams; talk about scraping the barrel. We look like we will make the semis this year, but what a waste of time. The performance against the Bulldogs showed that they have absolutely no chance.
Allen Small, East Maitland
RAY Peck, the last time something from a lord mayor's office went to Angus Taylor, it mysteriously reappeared in Rupert's daily toilet paper with all the figures magically changed to disparage Clover Moore. When confronted with this deception we got the usual "nothing to see here" from the government. Acceptance of this type of behaviour seems nearly an everyday occurrence from our current leaders.
Chris Peters, Newcastle
RESIDENTS in northern NSW, requiring paediatric services, are usually referred to specialists in Brisbane hospitals. Now that the border has once again closed, the bureaucrats in Queensland health have imposed conditions that make it almost impossible for parents to take their ill child into Queensland. That means they have to travel to Newcastle or Sydney to access the required services. This imposition highlights deficiencies in NSW Health. Surely a review of health services is necessary, so that appropriate treatment is accessible for all throughout regional NSW, without the need to travel too far from home.
Stan Keifer, Arakoon
THE POLL
SHOULD party politics be in councils?
