FOUR-wheel drive off-roading attracts young men who buy expensive cars, especially utes. They purchase these vehicles, because they are an expression of their masculinity, and for the freedom they offer in getting away to wild places. Quad bikes and trail bikes tend to be purchased by wealthy parents for their adolescent boys. These boys want them for the same reasons that young men want the cars ('Dunes are an attractive option', Newcastle Herald 26/12). Because there are few places that are available within range of metropolitan areas, the few places that are available tend to be over-used. Over Christmas and New Year, the owners of these vehicles flock to places like Nine Mile beach, Stockton and Seal Rocks.
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Unfortunately, when driven irresponsibly on dunes these vehicles destroy delicate dune vegetation, erode dunes and increase sand mobility inland. Their owners occasionally destroy barriers and fencing to access off-limits areas. When there are too many of them, or they are driven irresponsibly, these vehicles are a danger to others and to their owners. When drivers camp they occasionally leave rubbish, broken bottles, excrement and toilet paper among the dunes. The only people who should be admitted to these popular places in peak holiday times should be responsible clubs and their members. These places should be adequately policed by park rangers. If club members do the wrong thing, then their club should be fined and suspended from using these places for a period.
Geoff Black, Caves Beach
Not loving partner visa delays
I HAD all but given up on love when I met my now husband on my first solo holiday in Fiji. We wanted to start our lives together in Australia; to have our own family and bring them up in my hometown of Newcastle.
More than two years of a long distance relationship, a beautiful wedding in Fiji with our immediate family and now finding myself in financial turmoil after the thousands of dollars in debt for the cost of flights, migration agent and lawyer fees, supporting two households and an offshore partner visa costing $7715 that like over 100,000 other applicants will take two years to process, I find myself alone on Christmas night. We have done everything the Morrison government asked us to do. Processing times for partner visas have tripled under Scott Morrison and Peter Dutton from six months to two years. It's been almost 12 months since I last saw my husband. The emotional toll on both of us is sometimes unbearable, just like thousands of other partners waiting to be reunited with their loved ones. Why is my own government treating me like this?
Kirsty Namata, Charlestown
Nuance prevents consequences
THE responses to my recent letter about China (Letters, 23/12) raise valid concerns. However they all seem to miss my point. I was not seeking to defend China's actions, as I clearly stated in the letter; I was suggesting that, given China's history and culture, Australia's reaction to the trade embargoes and tariffs requires a nuanced response of which our prime minister seems incapable. Other countries have also been bullied by China when they have upset the Chinese government, but in most cases those countries seem to have been able to quietly resolve the differences without sacrificing their principles.
IN THE NEWS:
It seems to me that our prime minister lacks emotional intelligence. His appalling behaviour early this year after the bushfires in grabbing the hand of a young female firefighter, clearly against her will, was a stark indicator of that. My argument is that, given the prime minister's lack of sensitivity and propensity for making spontaneous, crowd-pleasing pronouncements without thinking through the possible diplomatic repercussions, he would do well to leave it to his professional diplomats to try to sort out the current impasse.
I am heartened by the appointment of Dan Tehan as trade minister. Mr Tehan has a diplomatic background and will understand the importance of behind-the-scenes negotiations to resolve problems. It is to be hoped that the prime minister will leave him to get on with the job unimpeded by unhelpful and unnecessary public statements.
John Ure, Mount Hutton
Stages always key to cell plan
REGARDING the construction of an expanded cell for landfill at the Summerhill Waste Centre ("Newcastle councillor queries price tag for new multimillion-dollar landfill site", Herald, 26/12), a report to council in 2015 made clear the project would need to be undertaken in stages.
The report recommending a contract to construct the first stage of a landfill cell stated "the construction period for the initial stages is approximately 18 months. The subsequent stages, including the sale of material from the excavation, are estimated to take place over the following three to four years." The project was scheduled this way to allow for the stage one section of the cell to be used while the stage two section was constructed. It is also worth noting that the timeline for construction of the cell was detailed to the current council in 2018, with a contract for the second stage unanimously awarded in December of that year. Since this time, no councillor has expressed any concern with the cost of staged construction either in a council meeting, or to myself or any manager. While City of Newcastle is investing in technologies to divert waste from landfill, the fact remains that for the foreseeable future cell 9 and likely a cell 10 will be required to ensure our city's waste needs can be responsibly managed.
The delivery of these projects ensures that Novocastrians will be provided with a high quality and low cost waste service for years to come. Newcastle residents already benefit from the lowest domestic waste charge in the lower Hunter.
Separately, the Herald ran on the same day a letter from a reader expressing disappointment at having to wait for a replacement bin. I'm pleased to be able to advise that my team were able to provide a replacement bin on Christmas Eve, before the letter was published, and less than 12 hours after being notified of the issue. Wishing all Herald readers a restful holidays and happy new year.
Jeremy Bath, City of Newcastle Chief Executive Officer
Moment not right for Knights
AND here we go again ('Stick or flick', Herald 29/12). Just when Newcastle fans were breathing out and looking forward to 2021 and a club that was reaping the benefits of the leadership of Adam O'Brien and staff and a renewed culture of discipline, maturity and respect we have our captain on the front page of a national paper for all the wrong reasons. My heart goes out to his fiance, and my head is saying the Knights have had enough chances. These allegations are not the message the Knights should be sending to our young players coming through."
Lisa Davies, Mayfield
SHARE YOUR OPINION
Email letters@newcastleherald.com.au or send a text message to 0427 154 176 (include name and suburb). Letters should be fewer than 200 words. Short Takes should be fewer than 50 words. Correspondence may be edited in any form.
SHORT TAKES
NEWCASTLE'S New Annual Festival in February sounds terrific ('Hanging out for the New Annual Festival', Newcastle Herald 28/12). I was intrigued with the Pony Express plan to come up with a more equitable name than 'Anthropocene', the era defined by human impact on the planet. While it's true that not all humanity is to blame for the planet's degradation, this will not carry much weight with the other biodiversity we share it with. Given the world's wealthiest 10 percent are responsible for 52 percent of carbon emissions perhaps Greedocene might be an option.
Ray Peck, Hawthorn VIC
WHOLE some of us for various reasons do not support voluntary assisted dying I respect that but you have no right to speak for me. None of us know what the end of our lives might be like and I want the choice to be provided with the right drugs that will ensure I die peacefully surrounded by the people I love. Without the NSW government confronting what 80 per cent of us are asking for, we are left with no option but to take matters into our own hands, die alone and risk not doing it properly. Other states such as Victoria have managed to pass legislation with all the safeguards NSW needs to follow as a matter of urgency as people in the last stages of life continue to suffer.
Sarah Taylor, Merewether
GLADYS Berejiklian's avoidance of the assisted dying bill is dismissing 72 per cent of NSW residents' opinions, and many lived experiences. At 15 my mother attempted to take her own life after coming to the end of a long battle with cancer. Her pain was immense. She had to do this alone, without family support, so as not to implicate anyone. It is time for people at the end of what are long roads of suffering to get a choice.
Meegan McHugh, Tighes Hill
CRICKET Australia has some questions to answer regarding the DRS. During the third day of the Boxing Day Test, Tim Paine was given out - caught behind, after the DRS revealed no 'hot-spot' with the bat, but 'snicko' registered a noise. Am I not the only spectator who believes that there was no contact between bat and ball and that the noise generated may have been caused by the compression of the air between the bat and the passing ball? In my opinion, we should accept just one or the other - hot spot or snicko. Personally I think hotspot is the way to go because noise can be created in many ways. Over to you Cricket Australia for an explanation.
Stan Keifer, Arakoon
I AM sick to death of reading quotes from Berejiklian that state her "desire" not to debate voluntary assisted dying in parliament. My desire would not to have been watching my partner, at 32 years old, die a slow, painful, traumatic death from cancer, but I had no choice. Nor did she. Berejiklian also states that she "appreciates people have strong views". That we do. Most NSW residents want this passed and we want it now. Get it done.
Abbey Egan, Islington
GLADYS, pack your bag. You don't have the right to treat our home as a petri dish.
Steve Barnett, Fingal Bay
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