We were surprised by the number of sightings of big black cats around the Hunter. Many readers posted comments about panthers on the Newcastle Herald’s Facebook page.

Here’s a selection of the comments:

Lou Richards: Saw one years ago in the bush at Morisset. Nobody believed us, didn't have a camera at the time. Pulled up in my driveway, right on bush land. It was in the long grass. I will never forget it.

​Robert Moore: I was out doing some night 4WDing in Wallaroo State Forest [at Clarence Town]. Me and my girl saw it in the middle of the trail. It was about knee-height [to him]. It ran off into the bush.

Joshua Mundy: Saw it up close from 10 metres about 15 years ago at Frying Pan Creek. It was about to eat two boxer dogs at the camp next to us. Definitely a black panther. Told the story hundreds of times with no belief. Its back was the same height as the ute tray and its body was the same length as the cab, tail as long as the tray. Hilux single cab 2x4. Its head was the size of a small gym training ball. This was no small cat. Pop told me many many years ago, the travelling circus would let go [of panthers] out there.

Mel Johnson: They escaped or were dumped by the circus. An old family friend used to travel with big circus families and said it happened a bit. My family have seen them in the Merriwa district and had terrible livestock losses that dogs couldn’t have caused.

La Toya Main: I swear to god I saw one in the bush across the road from my house, just outside Cessnock. I know what I saw. It was black and cat-like.

Josh Hargrave: I saw the black panther around the banks of the Hunter River under Singleton bridge. Can't tell me otherwise.

Jacob Binnie: I've come across one in the bush between Wallsend and Minmi.

Kerry Deane: I swear I saw one in bush near Minmi on the way home from Wallsend a couple of years ago.

Kasey Davis: I swear I've seen something like that at Mt Sugarloaf.

Shane Parkes: I’ve seen it twice – once in the bush at Wallsend and a second time at Kurri Kurri motorbike track.

Alex Roth: We saw one in the uni bush down from Bar on the Hill.

Christos Halaris: Yep saw it at Bar on the Hill uni bush, straight underneath a light post. It was no dog, it was no wild cat.

Maria Lawrence: I saw it out the front of my house in Stroud in November 2009.

Phillip Dwyer: I saw one at the bottom end of Lake Macquarie a few years ago on the Pacific Highway between Swansea and the freeway. Did a u-turn to get a photo, but was too far away to get a decent shot.

Josh Convery: I saw one at Swansea lookout up near Caves Beach. Was a very scary moment.

Kerrie Hill: I saw one run off into the bush as we were driving through Frazer Park, Lake Munmorah.

Raymond Collins: I saw one about three years ago near Dungog. So I know they are out there.

Susan Williamson: My dad saw a panther in the Watagan Mountains whilst riding his motorbike about 40 years ago.

Sharyn Kane: The cat was seen in the Mandolong area back in the 1980s.

Heidi Ho: Saw one at Medowie about two years ago.

Andrew Urbanowicz: Saw one at Stroud Hill Road, Dungog about three years ago.

Are we the only ones to feel ripped off with the cost of Easter eggs? 

We know there’s bigger things to worry about with Syria, Trump, affordable housing and that type of stuff. 

But come on, chocolate is important. Back in the day, chocolate eggs were awesome. We used to get Hot Wheels Easter eggs. The chocolate was at least a centimetre thick. And the egg had a toy car inside. Nowadays the ubiquitous Cadbury eggs are thin and fairly small, despite the MASSIVE packaging. That’s disappointing for us, but the Australian Dental Association is probably pretty happy about it. 

“Easter is fun, but tooth decay is not,” said Professor David Manton, the association’s oral health committee chairman, adding that people should “consume their treats in moderation and continue their good oral health habits”.

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket; everyone needs a friend who is all ears; there’s no such thing as too much candy; all work and no play can make you a basket case; a cute tail attracts a lot of attention; everyone is entitled to a bad hare day; let happy thoughts multiply like rabbits; some body parts should be floppy; good things come in small, sugar coated packages.