As a new arrival in Newcastle, and a regular user of the Fernleigh Track, I was interested to read your recent coverage of it ("Runners Fernleigh fright", Newcastle Herald, 24/7) and ("Retired teacher says boy shot at her on Fernleigh Track", Herald, 25/7).
The track is one of the great assets of Newcastle - I use it almost every day to cycle to work.
I find the vast majority of users courteous, friendly and kind. Of course there are the selfish who use and abuse it but they are a tiny minority - as long as the rest of us look out for each other.
I could suggest one improvement - ban electric motorbikes (not electric pedal assist bikes).
These monstrosities should be on the road and driven by licensed users.
David Robertson, Hamilton
Regional airline woes expose neglect past cities
WITH speculation swirling around airline Regional Express, or REX, I believe regional Australia must seize this opportunity to encourage the state and federal governments to nationalise the airline.
REX is a lifeline to regional Australians and enhances our access to economic, health, and political interests. I believe that regional Australians' dependence on public transport has been neglected for too long. We have experienced unfair travel rates between country and city for too long.
Regional Australians are shouldering a disproportionate burden when it comes to rail fares. A 454-kilometre journey from Wagga to Central Station for an adult costs $53.26. That's 11.7 cents per km. In contrast, a trip from Newcastle to Central Station, a journey of 162km, costs city dwellers $7.23 or 4.4 cents per kilometre.
With health, regional Australians are denied access to locally based specialists. They are expected to attend hospitals and surgeries in Sydney at their expense, despite being slugged with disproportionate air and rail costs. It is time for regional Australians to be afforded air travel as part of the state-subsidised civilian travel mixtures. Regional Australians should be able to access subsidised air travel.
Greg Adamson, Griffith
Not all nursing homes are troubled
AS a supporter of the Newcastle Herald I have been following the ongoing discussions of nursing homes and the problems associated with them.
Unfortunately, I had to make a decision in October last to place my wife of 56 years in a home because of dementia. This hard decision was made a lot easier with the staff at Tingira Hills facility at Mount Hutton.
From first contact to this day the staff are professional in every way, and they treat me like family. The meals they serve their patients and guests is of excellent quality and would be equivalent to any restaurant.
Every time I visit, the staff from reception to the ward are happy to see me and take great care of their patients. This facility makes me so lucky to have my wife in their care and I could not wish for any happier outcome for her as this degenerative disease takes hold of her. I must admit that my wife is much happier there than when she was at home.
As much as I miss her at home I can rest assured that the staff at Tingira Hills are giving her the best and professional care that I could not. So, all nursing homes are not bad.
Kerry Harrison, Whitebridge
Congratulations for standing firm
CONGRATULATIONS to the University of Newcastle students who have endured 78 days camped on the Auchmuty Lawn in solidarity with Palestinians who have endured even worse in the unrelenting Israeli onslaught on their homes, schools and hospitals in Gaza.
Also, our thanks to Associate Professor Karen Mate who wrote in their support ("'Not the end': protesters agree to pack up camp", Herald 30/7). Like her, I would give the students a HD for their persistence.
We hope that the university management will fulfil their promise to disclose full details of partnerships with Israel and all agreements for financial support received from weapons manufacturers. I strongly support the students' position that funding from companies that produce weapons of war has no place in educational institutions.
Governments also need to take note and prevent weapons manufacturers from recruiting students at careers markets by offering generous scholarships to those who are willing to sign up to work in armament production. It is time that all schools and universities were demilitarised. As we approach the 79th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the focus in education needs to be on the peaceful resolution of conflict.
Doug Hewitt, Hamilton
Time to clock changes at council
I WAS recently in Civic Park admiring the beauty of the Town Hall when I noticed that the clock was stuck on 12. Put simply, I believe there is no better visual image to describe the sad state of our wonderful city under the present leadership.
Capital projects that were meant for completion months ago seem to remain ongoing. Across all four council wards many footpaths are in a state of disrepair, our roads are shambolic and our inland pools need immediate attention. Public transport is failing us and development for development's sake is the norm.
The spin doctors tell us that everything is fine, that progress over the past decade has been significant and that we should be grateful for what is being done on our behalf. They laud council achievements but fail to grasp the current reality. In my opinion, that is a failure of leadership on multiple levels.
True, there have been some achievements, but one must wonder what more could have been achieved with a stronger sense of purpose, less grandstanding and more purposeful representation. I think the reality is there is no real concern for our heritage, lip service is being paid to the needs of our communities and transparency simply does not exist. The September elections will provide an opportunity to get the clock ticking once again because things must change and quickly.
Peter Gittins, Our Newcastle ward one candidate
The people use the power
Steve Barnett ("Mixed message from Bowen", Letters, 27/7), is quite right in questioning the 23 per cent increase in power prices which the minister, Chris Bowen, blamed on the need to use more energy from coal fired power stations. But in my opinion the minister didn't tell us that much of the increased demand was created because of the population growth that his government created through high immigration.
Don Owers, Dudley
Time to make a power play
PRIME Minister Anthony Albanese's reshuffle of the decks seems to have missed the obvious. How has Chris Bowen survived? With what I consider a long history of glaring errors under previous Labor leaders, he seems to keep bumbling along. As the current minister for climate change and energy he continues to make stupid decisions that are too many to list. He has failed in his promise to cut our power bills only to preside over massive increases. My message to the prime minister: either you are putting the wrong people in power, or we are.
Mitchell Hudson, Fletcher
Burke will be a busy man
IT seems the only job Tony Burke doesn't have is Albo's. To be honest, I don't think he'll have to wait long to add it too.
