Yet the late 1940s were not the "good old days", as Mr Crampton says, for everyone. They were good for men, certainly men in authority, as only men could be. But they were not so good for women, children and our Indigenous brothers and sisters.

During both world wars, women were co-opted into all forms of work. But come peace, it was back to normal. Married women were not allowed in most occupations. Those women working in traditional female occupations received about 60 per cent of a male wage. Domestic violence was ignored by society and the law. Any woman caught in an abusive relationship had few options: put up with it or suicide. Child abuse, too, was common, unrecognised and tacitly accepted.

Our Indigenous brothers were welcomed into the armed services. When war finished, they were banned from the RSL and back to their status as fauna, unable to control their own lives or vote and not counted in the census. Like most women, I am glad those days are gone forever.

DO any structural engineers read these letters? I have a couple of questions. A friend of mine has been talking at some length about some new buildings in Hunter Street. Those buildings being the university campus at Civic and the bus interchange at Wickham. He seems to think that when the next major earthquake occurs, these particular buildings will, because of their design, fall down.

I would have thought the university campus would be quite safe while nothing is happening with the ground or foundations, but how will it stand up in the event of an earthquake? My friend's concerns seem to be based on the V-shaped columns supporting the upper levels.

He has also expressed concern about the bus interchange at Wickham because of the V-shaped pillars used to support the structure.

Is he right or is he wrong? Will these buildings be safe when Newcastle experiences another major earthquake?

Some years ago, a local identity expressed concern that the city was not prepared for another major earthquake and that we were lucky that more people didn't die in the quake that shook the city in December 1989.

How prepared is the city for another earthquake? How safe are the new developments in the city, particularly the university campus and the bus interchange? As the media likes to say, people have a right to know if there are risks.

IN regards to James Muecke's opinion piece on sugar consumption ('Sugar levy an investment in health of nation', Opinion 20/8) I always recall the scene in the movie Planet of the Apes where the astronaut makes a paper glider to demonstrate to the apes that man can design objects that can fly and gives it to the ape. The ape, despite the evidence, simply crumples it up and throws it away.

So it is with our federal government. Ignoring the facts despite the evidence is just another day to them. Witness almost anything they don't do about climate change, energy policy, negative gearing, superannuation - if they do anything at all it's almost always for the wrong reasons.

Vested interest and politics always win. Bugger the facts.

I POPPED into my friendly neighbourhood tobacconist recently and was informed that the punitive social engineering taxes on tobacco products are going up again soon. For me, this will mean an extra $13 per week will go to Canberra in tax and $13 less will be spent in local business.

I won't be giving up smoking or cutting down because I refuse to be bullied. There has been far too much bullying of citizens by the government of late in my opinion. Of course the government will try and justify all this bullying by wheeling out some expert looking for grant money and an ego boost armed with carefully cherry-picked statistics that will be shouted from the rooftops by the moralising mainstream media. But I don't buy into any of it.

THE report on Wednesday that the Newcastle City Council approval for a Modus Operandi brewery and artisan food and drink premises opposite Lingard Hospital at Merewether stated in part that concerns about parking had been addressed ('Pet crematorium rejected', Herald 19/8). The Herald also reported that this proposal required 80 parking spaces, with six spaces onsite and the other 72 being supplied in the surrounding streets ('Council staff back brewer', Herald 18/8).

This area is already stressed with parking, not just for Lingard, but many residents with extra vehicles not garaged. How could these 72 extra spaces be available in the streets without a large degree of distress to the locals? Honeysuckle Hotel was approved without any attached parking, and the adjacent Lobster House did not last long. The new courthouse with five car spaces and the proposed new university campus, with almost zero car spaces, seem inconceivable. How many car spaces are being provided for the conversion of the old council Roundhouse into a five-star hotel? Crown Plaza on the foreshore only offers offsite valet parking, which does not always suit visitors. As a mobility-impaired person with a walking stick, I now find it impossible to attend functions at the City Hall and the adjacent Civic Theatre, and one of my favourite restaurants in King Street is virtually unreachable for me with many car spaces taken up by trees planted in the actual roadway.

With the incredible number of housing units being built in the CBD, in my opinion parking at Marketown is already inadequate for the inner city's demand and the other alternative shopping venue for CBD residents, The Junction, is also inadequate with respect to car spaces. Not everyone can push a supermarket trolley 500 metres or more. Unfortunately, motor vehicles are still an essential for most Newcastle ratepayers, and parking is forever inadequate.

Separately, I noticed recently in Stewart Ave a 'tourist style' sign pointing to the Foghorn Brewery, and on turning right into King St there was yet another Foghorn Brewery sign giving the distance of two kilometres. Newcastle CBD has many businesses of varying types, many of which have been struggling since the introduction of our spasmodically used tram, yet one business alone has been granted tourist type signage. Is this fair?

Note: Whilst I am fortunate to live in the city of Lake Macquarie, nevertheless I also pay rates to the Newcastle City Council.

BRAD Hill (Short Takes, 20/8), with so many flat on their backs, for weeks, the economy will go over the cliff, . The chips will be down, for sure. It's still not known if those who've had it have got permanent immunity, and so around it goes.

MAC Maguire (Short Takes, 20/8) is so right. Victorian Premier Dan Andrews has done such a fantastic job in Victoria controlling COVID-19, keeping Victoria open for business. His management of hotel quarantine has been an outstanding success compared to other states, and most importantly even fronting the media every day and on one occasion for a whole 90 minutes. We should be demanding Dan Andrews for Prime Minister with Bill Shorten as Deputy Prime Minister. Only with Dan and Bill in charge will Australians be able to relax knowing we are in good hands.

IS it not strange, all those in favour of abortion are already born? Unlike COVID-19, termination of life always proves fatal to the unborn child. It would be interesting to hear Scott Hillard's opinion on this.

I BELIEVE anyone who thinks that by introducing a sugar tax will decrease obesity has to be dreaming ('Sugar levy an investment in health of nation', Opinion 20/8). Alcohol is heavily taxed, but people keep on drinking. People still continue to smoke, although heavily taxed too. It is a proven fact that people, particularly those of limited income, who suffer from stress, anxiety etc., enjoy the quick fix of a sugar supplement. This is often the only bit of pleasure they can still afford, or what they will spend their last dollar buying. I have a jar of boiled lollies for such an occasion, and if the price was to increase, I would still indulge. Better to look at why people need a lolly or two than punish those who need them.

BRAD Hill (Short Takes, 21/8), your suggestion to "protect the elderly and let the chips fall where they fall" is offensive. The "chips" are already falling and the elderly are dying alone with only a masked stranger to comfort them while their families despair. Now people as young as 30 are also dying. Where do we start "elderly"? If social distancing, good hygiene and precautions such as masks are used by everyone then we can get things back to a new normal. We are all in this together.

AS a proud Novocastrian, but cut off from my family out of abundance of caution in Sydney, it horrifies me to see your journalists use language like "infect" to describe the virus passing from a young man from Sydney to a Port Stephens man. In my opinion this language does not help anyone in a public health crisis to abandon decency and empathy. I believe it belittles the masthead of our proud city to see it in print.

DO you agree with the government's decision to cut the coronavirus supplement?