Adding together an historic area which has a seaplane memorial, the association's impressive amount of artifacts, and the jewel in the crown - an almost restored Catalina flying boat for display - the hangar proposed would offer the potential to be developed not just into a museum, but also a venue for education, conventions, receptions and entertainment. All of this would massively increase the tourist dollar and have a huge economic benefit to the local economy.

The significant attendance at past Catalina festivals not only by locals but also the wider community, indicates the level of interest in and regard for former RAAF Rathmines Base's history and the personnel who sacrificed and served there.

One need only look at the hugely successful operations of the numerous historic aviation and Warbird museums and centres across the globe to be convinced of the viability of such an attraction, which would really put Lake Macquarie on the map.

Wake up, LMCC, and cast off the parochial blinkers. This really is a no-brainer.

I AM a long-term resident of Newcastle and a retired civil engineer and I regularly walk, cycle or drive between Merewether, Nobbys and Honeysuckle.

The 30km/h speed limit 24 hours a day, seven days a week from Hannell Street to Newcastle Baths is a simplistic and unnecessary restriction to traffic and a time waster. This speed limit is slower than school zones which only apply for limited hours and work zones where people are working in close proximity to traffic.

For most of this zone, pedestrians and cyclists have the opportunity to travel completely separated from traffic. There are a few pedestrian crossings across the road but these have good visibility and/or other slowing devices. Because of the extremely slow speed limit, traffic builds up and congestion is created where it need not exist. Unnecessary nanny state restrictions discourage drivers from driving responsibly.

The slow speed limit, banking up of traffic, new "temporary" two way cycleway combined with careless cyclists, skaters and scooters who insist on still using the footpath and don't have lights at night, require extreme caution when exiting or entering Honeysuckle Drive from properties along this route.

The crazy decision to also trial a very slow driverless vehicle along this route further exacerbates the traffic frustration.

There may be a case to have a slow speed limit in peak recreational times east of Watt Street. If so, this would be better imposed with a variable speed limit with illuminated signs that can be switched on for set times or special circumstances.

City of Newcastle council should show some common sense and return the speed limit to 50km/h and take the driverless vehicle for circuits around Summer Hill until the battery goes flat, whereupon it can be parked permanently.

LOCATION, location, location. What have we done to the beautiful sight of our cityscape when driving or ferrying from across the Newcastle harbour?

There used to be a lovely view of all the historical buildings and the beautiful Christ Church cathedral, something that thrilled visitors to our city. Now the skyline is filled with high-rise buildings that are growing in number all the way along the harbour.

Every city that has a working harbour needs a buffer between the water and the buildings. This allows many people to enjoy this lovely harbour, but it's too late to change progress now.

On another subject, there is a book called Money, Sex, and Power. The message of the book is that all these things are good when used the right way but used to exploit, they become hurtful and evil. When we open our eyes to all going on around us, it is so true.

LAST night's Four Corners program on the explosion in Beirut should have been a wake up call for Novocastrians that the storage of up to six times the amount of ammonium nitrate on Kooragang Island that exploded in Beirut, is still an issue of high priority.

In my opinion Orica have reacted in an arrogant manner and most contemptuous way to this serious threat by refusing to move the huge deposit to a non-urban area, as has been required in South Australia.

The safety of our community and city should override the profits and greed of this multinational corporation.

IT seems to me that Donald Trump intimidated his medical team into providing misleading information about his COVID treatment. He directed his security staff to take him on a joyride out of Walter Reed Hospital for a photo opportunity (it's a wonder he wasn't holding up a bible), putting them at risk. Days after being diagnosed with COVID-19, having to receive supplementary oxygen and being flown to hospital, he sends out an extraordinary tweet with the exhortation "Don't let COVID dominate you" and the bald statement "I feel better than I did 20 years ago".

Surely his most fervent supporters, including local cheerleader Peter Dolan, must now accept that Donald Trump is a deranged narcissist who is a danger to the American people?

CARL Stevenson (Letters, 2/10) said he believes it was good government foresight to build the Stockton Bridge as high as they did in view of possible expansion up the river in the future. I think you will find that the reason the bridge was built so high was to accommodate the seagoing colliers that were traversing the river to load coal at the wharf on the southern side of the Hexham Bridge to deliver to the power stations in Sydney, therefore allowing the colliers to safely pass underneath without causing any delays to the flow of traffic on the bridge.

These colliers were commonly known to locals as the 60 milers. They were Australian owned and manned by Australian seaman. And now we have a high bridge and no more colliers and the only thing that's expanding up the river are the mangrove trees.

HELEN Gregory's article ('It's not worth it to work full-time', Newcastle Herald 8/10) sums up the new age way of thinking, although I believe it stems from the top.

I AM in complete agreement with Don Fraser (Short Takes, 7/10), who questions the judges' selection of the recent Archibald Prize. Living in Sydney for many years and attending the Wynne, Sulman and Archibald exhibitions annually, in my opinion I have never seen a less deserving entry than the latest offering.

SPOTTED recently: a t-shirt with a detailed map of Glenrock State Conservation area with its walking and bike tracks. However, the ocean off the coast was printed as the Atlantic Ocean. I suggest that you don't try to get there by boat.

GRAEME Tychsen (Short Takes, 7/10), of course you are free to believe what you perceive to be the "best" climate advice, but may I just ask: how have their predictions been over the many decades of which you speak? So good luck until we are doomed in 2030, 2050 or 2100, depending on which prediction proves correct, if any.

JOHN Keen, my letter to Erin Killion, the proud union member, was basically a question; why is a proud union member backing job destroying environmental policy? Half a million Australian meat workers will be thrown out of work if climate change lunatics get their way. Perhaps you might be able to tell me what jobs will be there to transition to. Who will pay for it? So far nobody backing such a destructive policy can give me an answer.

REJOICING at Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis as an act of God (Short Takes, 8/10) sets the bar low, even for a Trump critic.

ONE of the basic tenets of democracy is that you allow a person to voice an opinion that you would strongly voice an opinion in opposition. Peter Dolan's motives for holding his nose and supporting Donald Trump should not, repeat not, be brought into question as has recently been the case. I might not agree with Peter's viewpoint on many matters, but I have found that he has always been a straight arrow and espouses his beliefs in an honest and straightforward manner. To paraphrase a line in the movie Love Actually, "enough now, enough".

I WAS interested to read Max McKinney's article ('RMS urged to use coal ash', Herald 7/10). The paragraph that amazed me stated that energy companies are willing to sell coal ash. Why not give it away for free? Currently 200 million tonnes are dumped at sites throughout NSW. The size of these dumps could be considerably reduced if coal ash was made available for free pick-up. Everyone's a winner; free coal ash for all and the energy companies rid themselves of an unwanted byproduct.