THE Hunter Cancer Action Network (HCAN) is the advocacy arm of the Cancer Council in the Hunter. We have a proud history in assisting the establishment of smoke-free areas so people can be protected from the harmful effects of secondhand tobacco smoke. HCAN is continuing its efforts towards upholding legislated bans at all public transport stops and stations. Smoking is banned at these locations under Section 6A of the Smoke-free Environment Act, 2000. On the spot fines of up to $300 apply. It is one thing to have a law, and another to have the law enforced. Trying to get suitable signage at public transport stops gets you into an administrative mire involving NSW Health, local councils and private transport operators. It is time for these bodies to decide who should install suitable signage at transport stops, and who should enforce the law. Perhaps NSW Health could supply signage, our group could install these, and Newcastle and Lake Macquarie councils could follow the lead of other councils in NSW and enforce the law. There is no safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke.

PETER Lewis' cartoon ('Lewis' View', Herald, 14/9) is typical of the current debate about water security in NSW. It is full of stereotypes/clichés and not helpful. If Tillegra Dam was built, it wouldn't look like the 'glossy' media/government poster, now, it would be empty as there just hasn't been the flows in the Williams River to fill it. Tillegra Dam won't be built for many reasons. The image of a big blue body of water is heartening and beautiful but let's get real, any debate should be about practical, efficient and sensible options, not what looks good in the papers or in a model on the TV. All options for securing our water supplies should be considered and that includes everything from dams to decreasing the demand for water, maybe even including slowing population growth. The smart (cheaper, more efficient, less climate dependent and less environmentally damaging) solutions are well established with lots of examples: California, Belgium, Namibia ... as well as Perth, and Brisbane's Western Corridor Recycled Water Scheme. And like the future of our energy supply the best solutions often contain a range of measures. The community overwhelmingly wants to see more recycled water, stormwater harvesting, water conservation, water sharing as evidenced in the responses to Hunter Water's deliberative community forums. Further, the majority of Australian water industry experts believe the best options to address climate change focus on diversifying water supply sources and demand reduction. The options are clear. The issue of cost is really the only factor to be debated. How much do we want to spend to improve our future water security? How much do we really value high quality drinking water. How much do we value social and environmental impacts? It is up to our politicians and water authorities to listen to the stakeholders and plan carefully.

"There, but by ------ go I"

Of all diseases feared by Man -

Dire Dementia - is most tragic.

A perplexing thief - of intellect -

Subtle, insidious bleak magic.

This Voodoo pilfers personality -

Slowly sapping reasoning skill.

Our core uniqueness of being -

Succumbing - to lost free will.

At first she only feels confused -

Dates and times all in a muddle.

Then memory lapses take a toll -

Simple tasks become a struggle.

'Short term loss' has now set in -

Verbal prompts she can't divine.

This tragedy of fading retention -

Pre-empts future mental decline.

Books and TV now mean naught.

That vacant stare is hard to bear.

Care, with dignity, is in our hands -

Devotedly, daily duties we share.

Mum's vitality - her raison d'etre -

Her past - lost in a warp of time.

Her present - restless emptiness -

Her future - sad moribund mime?

But Jean enjoys tranquility now -

Free - of stress, anguish or grief.

Cerebral closure - her insulation.

Memory redundancy - her relief.

THANK goodness National Parks & Wildlife Service has agreed to extend the deadline for submissions regarding the proposed Tomaree Coastal Walkway and Amended Plan of Management for Tomaree National Park. Incredibly, residents of Port Stephens were not included in the list of key stakeholders whose opinions would be sought regarding the proposals. This includes residents whose properties are within a few metres of the proposed walkway - bringing perhaps thousands of tourists per day in peak season. Everyone in the community has a right to be informed about proposals which will impact on their amenity. A big shout out to our wonderful local member Kate Washington (she also happens to be the shadow minister for environment) who was able to draw on her good working relationship with the NSW Environment Minister to get the deadline for submissions extended for a further two weeks. There may well be commercial advantages to attracting thousands more visitors to Tomaree National Park but the local Port Stephens community has a right to know, and to veto silly ideas like setting up coffee carts along the way to add to the litter in the park and on the beaches. All residents should check out both the Plan Amendment and the Walkway Strategy for themselves.

Thanks again for working so hard for your community Kate.

A WELL-dressed Sunday afternoon crowd hovered about on the Civic light rail stop last weekend, shuffling about nervously and someone was heard to say "Constance promised 10 mins no less?". Then the big red caterpillar arrived smack on its 15 minute schedule, great. Except not too great at its terminus. There was no Sydney service to interchange with, as it had departed two minutes before, next train in 55 minutes. Obviously the train had been scheduled for a more frequent light rail. Keolis Downer, like your fractured bus services, this is infuriating.

FORGET complex sociological explanations for the Star riot ('The farewell that burst into flames', Newcastle Herald, 19/9). There may have been better musicians, but for simple fun, showmanship, and creating an amazing scene, I have never seen any type of cultural event, of any type, anytime, anywhere in the world, to match Rick Pointon and his Benny and the Jets at the Star Hotel. I'll raise a glass in fond memory tonight.

THERE is something radically wrong with the governance of this affluent country when each succeeding generation is less and less likely to own their own home. Governments, please explain.

I THINK you are missing the point, Matt Ophir (Short Takes, 18/9). Getting drug tested is just another indignity the unemployed have to deal with. The term "dole bludger" is alive and well in many people's minds when it comes to those on benefits. There are not enough secure, well-paying jobs out there and if a low paid, insecure, casual job is found, you go up a notch to become one of the large number of "working poor".

MY husband has just passed away after spending two-and-a-half years in the fantastic Kilpatrick Court Nursing Home in Toronto. I visited there every day for several hours and observed what was expected of the staff. Some of the residents abused, hit and spat on the staff. The staff also has to clean up spilled food, vomit, urine and faeces. They also had to shower and dress the residents, again being abused, which they always did with a smile. Aged care workers deserve to be paid more.

THIS is a message from a desperate unit dweller (DUD). My penthouse is currently a construction zone and I am living in a rented property. My unit is unsaleable because of the building defects. Unit owners have been failed by the Department of Fair Trading, NCAT and the Office of Legal Services Commission. The appointment of a building commissioner run out of the Department of Fair Trading will achieve nothing.

AS a person born without the empathy gene I am starting to feel sorry for Bill Shorten after hearing that Prime Minister Scott Morrison will be travelling in Air Force 1 from Washington DC to Ohio next week. What might it have been if Bill had left my franking credits alone.