I NOTE with interest the article about the troublesome tree in Tighes Hill ("Family's fury over troublesome tree", Newcastle Herald 5/8). I was immediately taken back to 1985 when myself and my family lived in Bibby Street, Hamilton.
The street was lined with paperbark trees on both sides of the road. Our house was only about a metre from the huge tree in front. One branch in particular was at head height on the footpath. Many inebriated men would walk into this branch and vent their anger on the tree.
My wife and I applied to the council to have the tree cut back, and it took over a year for anything to be done. Two council trucks and eight workers finally attended to the task of trimming the tree. They cut one branch off, but not the offending one that caused such grief to pedestrians and me and my family. There was even an occasion where a young couple decided to have sex up against the tree in daylight hours. Many a car nearly came undone trying to witness their antics.
I can sympathise fully with the family in Tighes Hill and their dilemma with a tree. I hope they have better luck with our council than we did all those years ago. I am not too hopeful for them though.
Peter Marsh, Shortland
Branch out for footpath fixes
The troublesome tree article ("Family's fury over troublesome tree", Herald, 5/8), resonates with our ongoing problem with tree roots on our footpath representing a serious health hazard to us, other locals and visitors alighting from cars.
Over several years the footpath level has risen noticeably way higher than any others because of the tree roots pushing upwards. Already a passerby has tripped and fallen requiring medical treatment.
A few years ago a council worker cut out just one root then put down soil and a covering of grass, thus hiding the roots and raising the height of the footpath yet again. After representations from Cr Wood, a rather surly council employee attended and informed us that he would organise to have some work done, at the same time saying repeatedly "people can trip anywhere" at least five or six times. Yes, they can, but you don't put obstacles in their way.
Subsequently a very friendly crew nature shaved some of the most visible roots but, apparently as instructed, left the majority or the roots untouched and hidden from sight. Our preference is for the tree to be removed completely as it has no aesthetic value whatsoever and constantly leaves bark, nuts and leaves in the gutter eventually flowing into Throsby Creek.
Failing that we suggested grading the roots and soil to the proper level and boxing in this or a new more suitable tree as has been done at 3 other places in our street, and guess what? Pigs might fly.
Sandra Harris and Robert Green, Georgetown
Convoluted past sorted port sale
REGARDING Jamieson Murphy's column ("A decade on from the port privatisation", Herald 6/8): the answer to some of the questions he asks around whether we got value for the lease is to be found in the retention values that Treasury set in 2012 for Port Botany and Port Kembla. These values have never been disclosed.
Treasury received indicative bids for the Port Botany and Port Kembla leases in December 2012. These bids were compared with the retention values the Treasury had set for the assets. The then Treasurer, Mike Baird, had advised the Parliament that the assets would not be leased unless the retention values were exceeded.
I believe bidders increased their bids after they were secretly offered a penalty payment for the number of containers handled at the Port of Newcastle above an annual cap. Bidders were advised that the government would recover its cost from Mayfield Development Corporation, which at that time was negotiating with Newcastle Port Corporation to develop a container terminal.
Parliament was told that the Port of Newcastle would not be leased to the private sector. I understand the decision to lease the Port of Newcastle to the private sector was made after Port Botany and Port Kembla were leased to NSW Ports.
Parliament was not advised by the previous government that the Port of Newcastle was to be leased for the purpose of recovering the cost of paying NSW Ports, which had been concealed from Parliament and was later denied to the public and the Parliament.
The Minns government estimates the cost to taxpayers of the government's contract to pay NSW Ports is between $600 million and $4.3 billion.
Greg Cameron, Wamboin
Swansong for rugby skipper with Wildfires
HOW good to hear Mayfield-East rugby mentioned because they produced the Wildfires captain ("Wildfires skipper to call full-time on career", Newcastle Herald 1/8).
He is not the only recent Wildfires player from the club, and now look at the local comp. Six teams is a joke.
Congratulations Rob for what you have done for the Wildfires and helping Newcastle be competitive in the Shute Shield
Bruce Cook, Adamstown
'No' is too easy an answer
I believe Peter Dutton's no to Makerata and no to Indigenous truth-telling exposes the man for who he is: a man with nothing positive to add and with no interest in a relationship with our Indigenous population.
On Mr Dutton for PM, it's a no from me.
Mac Maguire, Charlestown
Garma wasn't Dutton's first miss
IN response to Paul Sainsbury ("Dutton missed opportunity in skipping festival", Letters. 7/8), in my view Peter Dutton speaks with forked tongue where Aboriginal people are concerned.
He boycotted the National Apology to the stolen generations in 2008, and later apologised. He's an ex-cop, and historically police and Aboriginal people have had toxic relations.
No to same sex marriage, no to the Voice: what does that say for Mr Dutton where the original inhabitants of this continent are concerned?
Richard Ryan, Summerland Point
We're fiddling while planet burns
IN 2018 highly respected David Attenborough warned, 'if we don't take action, the collapse of our civilisations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon'.
Of course the great man was referring to taking action in regard to human induced climate change.
It is terribly disappointing and extremely difficult to comprehend that now, approximately six years after the warning by David Attenborough, our federal government is encouraging the burning of fossil fuels, coal and gas to produce energy, as this is the actual cause of human induced climate change.
