I participated in the Aussie Bird Count this year to record the birds in and around the old Burwood Colliery dam at Whitebridge.
To my delight, I identified 27 different species, and there were more in the treetops that I was unable to verify. If the dam was to go, this recorded population of birds, as well as the unrecorded ones, would be greatly affected, as would the environment and flora.
According to Landcare's guide for the Fernleigh Track, the land is part of an important vegetation corridor to Glenrock State Conservation Area.
The landcare site is just north of the dam so, due to its location, the dam and its surrounding riparian vegetation is part of that important vegetation corridor.
I would be more than happy to show this area to anyone from Crown Lands regional office interested in seeing a beautiful oasis in the middle of a busy area of Lake Macquarie.
Maybe cyclists who ride the Fernleigh Track could take a break at Whitebridge and see for themselves why this body of water needs to stay?
Money used to fix the dam wall would be well spent as it would look after the environment and flora and fauna in an important vegetation corridor.
Denise Sweeney, Whitebridge
Only fools rely on the weather
Those who believe in climate change, believing that mankind can change or manipulate the weather, apparently live on another planet.
When mankind can change the direction of wind, cold and wet from the south, hot and dry from the west and moderate from the north, then climate change would actually be controllable.
Until then, I suggest all the doomsayers take a deep breath of air and accept all the weather that a change in wind direction may bring.
Learning to adapt to changes in wind direction, "thus the weather," makes more sense than trying to control the weather. Theoretical computer science may disagree, especially those who are paid to predict doom and gloom, unfortunately my only defence is what I have seen, thus what to expect.
Unfortunately, we are relying on favourable weather to control our destiny, only a fool would rely on the weather.
Carl Stevenson, Dora Creek
Antipathy on full show
The referendum has come and gone and nothing has changed.
First Nations disadvantage is unchanged, their voices are still unheard, the gap hasn't closed.
We can blame Albanese and the 'yes' campaign, we can blame Dutton, Price, Mundine and the 'no' campaign, we can blame the racists.
But the sheer number of people who voted 'no', almost nine million, clearly shows that a huge number of Australian people hold real antipathy towards Indigenous Australians.
That is the real tragedy.
Noel Pearson summed it up in his Boyer Lecture last year: "We are a much unloved people ... We are not popular and we are not personally known to many Australians. Few have met us and a small minority count us as friends. And despite never having met any of us and knowing very little about us... Australians hold and express strong views about us, the great proportion of which is negative and unfriendly."
And more than a week on from the referendum, the gloating continues.
One correspondent declares that he feels "proud of all those Australians who stood up and voted 'no' at the referendum" ("Referendum offers point of pride", Letters, 23/10).
A strange interpretation of pride. He also decries the "inner-city elites", labelled purely on the basis of geography. Yet he could be described as an "inner-city elite", purely on the basis of geography.
Perhaps he doesn't understand the meaning of irony?
John Ure, Mount Hutton
Misplaced pride
I'm so happy that Peter Devey is proud of the "no" vote, despite the many proven lies it was based on ("Referendum offers point of pride", Letters, 23/9).
But he seems still a little misguided, targeting those "inner-city elites" the right loves to rant about, and celebrating that NT voted "no" even with its 'large numbers of remote-community Aboriginal people'.
However, he neglected to mention that all those remote communities voted strongly "yes", in Queensland too, and the overall Aboriginal vote was strongly "yes".
Or were all those "inner-city elites" holidaying in the remote communities on voting day?
Michael Gormly, Islington
SHORT TAKES
Labor government a disappointment
I'm with you Peter Ronne ("If you like 'no', expect to hear more", Letters, 23/10). What has the Labor government done to support the people they were elected to represent? Nothing, apart from making the entire population's existence more difficult. Watch Question Time. They can't answer simple questions without the carry on and giggling like 12-year-olds. God help us.
Mick Kembrey, Cessnock
Mid-East's endless war cycle
Trying to stop the religious wars in the Middle East is like trying to stop the tide. They've been at war since the year dot and they'll still be at war at the world's end.
John Bonnyman, Fern Bay
Where's Skye's Law?
Whatever happened to Skye's Law for idiots who drive through city streets at speeds triple the speed limit, drive on footpaths, go through intersections with no respect for human life just to avoid police coming to lock them up and throw away the keys?
Phil Grainger, Lemon Tree Passage
Sorry chorus strengthens
I would like to add my voice with Ian Adam ("Another apology seems due", Letters, 24/10). I am sorry too. Maybe we should have a 'sorry day' again. The risk is we may be voiced out.
George Marshall, Windale
Seattle rocks on many levels
While I enjoyed Chris Tansley's recollections of Seattle ("What would Kurt think?", Herald Explore, 21/10), I feel obliged to mention another decidedly non-grungy feature of the city worth noting, namely the gargantuan Boeing factory where you can watch airliners being churned out to order at a dizzying rate. Impressive. Oh, and Jimi Hendrix came from Seattle too...
David Beins, Cooks Hill
Tripping with Albo
So Airbus Albo is overseas again. By Christmas he will have had 20 trips in 20 months. Surely one of the countries he visited would have done us a favour and kept him.
Don Fraser, Belmont
Second referendum backdown
It seems Peter Dutton and David Littleproud quickly reneged on their pledge to hold a second referendum on Indigenous recognition in the constitution when they realised they'd have to actually speak up for and praise Indigenous Australians rather than malign and "other" them.
Mac Maguire, Charlestown
Solid PM candidates
I would vote 1 for either Warren Mundine or Jacinta Price to be our next prime minister.
