IF around 50% don’t care about Australia Day, why not change it to be more inclusive? Whichever way, I don’t care. Pollie Linda Burney suggests a second equal day. We could take the Queen’s Birthday public holiday. The monarchists won't mind, as they continually tell us the Governor-General is our head of state rather than the queen.
Colin Fordham, Lambton
THANK God for the bus timetable being such a shambles. I haven’t heard anything about the trains for weeks now.
Phill Hatch, Kurri Kurri
I DON’T care what day Australia Day is. If you are lucky enough to live here, every day is Australia Day. I would, however, like to know which nation the Greens and indigenous activists would have preferred to have settled here: the Indonesians, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish or even the Americans.
Steve Barnett, Fingal Bay
WHAT is happening in Hunter Street (“Frontline on front foot”, Herald 19/1) is nothing new. Land bankers started this with Honeysuckle. Most businesses that moved were established Hunter Street tenants, and land bankers bought their now-empty buildings cheap, did them up and sold for a profit. They have been holding the city to ransom for years, doing nothing until the rail line was ripped up. Now that that has happened, I believe they are systematically moving along Hunter Street. When all the current long-term tenants go broke they will gobble them up cheap and the process continues. The same business people complaining about lack of business are the same who advocated ripping the direct, uninterrupted link to Sydney, the Hunter and beyond. Progress? Revitalisation? Only to the 'burghers' stuffing their pockets at the expense of our community.
Tony Lawler, Newcastle
MEREWETHER Ocean Baths on Tuesday were absolutely disgusting filth. Why are we not cleaning this beautiful facility twice weekly every week in this summer heat and especially this time of year? I was in all conscience not able to let my grandchildren go in there this morning.
Bev O’Hara, Hamilton
ALTHOUGH none of us can change where we come from or what has happened in the past, I for one am proud of my family's history of landing here with the First Fleet. Both my grandfathers fought for our great country in the second World War alongside many indigenous folk. Although I will be working on Australia Day, the rest of our family will be celebrating all things great about our land.
David Edwards, Muswellbrook
IN reply to Mark Mansfield (“Let Knights hibernate”, Letters 22/1): I must be reading the wrong Herald. The one I read has a story, or stories, about the Jets every day.
Graeme Bennett, Warners Bay
I THINK it’s time to have an anti-Green, anti-do-gooder, anti-vegan, anti-cafe-latte, anti-mobile phone, anti-Australian day. The list is endless. I suggest we celebrate 365 days each year for these pitiful individuals.
