WOW what a great lady featured on the front page ('94 not out, Audrey's declared', Newcastle Herald 18/2). Ian Kirkwood wrote a great piece about Audrey Nash, pictured, who fought the Catholic Church and won many years ago after her son was abused by a Catholic priest and then he committed suicide at a very young age. The Church conceded eventually that her son Andrew had been abused, but sadly that was after the boy had passed away. How brave and strong was Audrey in fighting for what was right after being a member of the Catholic congregation for many years.
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Her strength and her fight almost certainly saved many other children from the same fate as her son. There appears to be a lot of fight still in Audrey batting on age 94 and still not out. Although you are giving up cricket, Audrey, I hope that you will bat on for quite a lot longer. Your strength and your character deserve much praise. You are a remarkable Australian.
Denise Lindus Trummel, Mayfield
Take a punt on savings yourself
PROBLEM gambling is nothing new, with many solutions never heeded, so the simplest solution or reason to stop is to ask how often do you win $10,000 every four years? This amount and more can be obtained by following a system that works every time, with no risk.
No, this is not a trick. A very conservative amount of money spent gambling would be $50 per week. Problem gamblers often spend much more. If this $50 was placed in a bank account and not touched, every four years you would be $10,000 richer. I know the urge to double your money is enticing, so when tempted ask yourself when was the last time you won $10,000.
However, if you can afford to throw away $50 per week and enjoy the excitement by all means keep on gambling, but if you really want to stop, follow my method. It wins every time. I can assure you watching money grow is more addictive than watching it go.
Carl Stevenson, Dora Creek
Foreign critics may have a point
I AM noticing that many foreign governments are starting to openly criticise the policies the Coalition are implementing.
At first, I ignored concerns China put forward, but now we have New Zealand's Prime Minister questioning the treatment of dual national citizenship, the United States questioning the treatment of its businesses and many other countries raising their own concerns. I think it might be time the Coalition stops being reckless and starts listening to the global community. It appears our foreign policy is politicised for domestic purposes. I feel that is dangerous for Australia into the future.
Greg Adamson, Griffith
Government can't be blackmailed
WE all should leave Facebook and WhatsApp and go to different platforms like Telegram. These companies cannot hold governments for ransom, in particular not our government. They are making fortunes from other people's work and good luck to them. However, they should pay for the labour involved and not steal it.
John Lobel, Adamstown
Attack says more about attacker
GREG Hunt, the only joke is your namesake (Short Takes, 17/2). Caught out putting the Liberal Party logo on a government announcement about publicly funded vaccines, he attacked the motives of the journalist who challenged him. It looked, and was pathetic.
But that's the way of things now with this government. As I see it, the level of sleaze and dishonesty swilling around it is matched only by the thin-skinned arrogance of its members. Rather than tell the truth, they attack the messenger. It's straight out of the Trump playbook.
By the way, if the ABC is so biased, why do surveys consistently show it is trusted by a very large majority of Australians? (Roy Morgan polling, 2018, 2019, 2020). Roy Morgan CEO, Michelle Levine, said this: "Australians told us that their trust of the ABC is driven by its lack of bias and impartiality, quality journalism and ethics."
Michael Hinchey, New Lambton
Tax was cause, ban a symptom
APPARENTLY the brains at Facebook can't tell the difference between news organisations, emergency services, charities and many other non-news organisations. If they paid tax in Australia for the income earned here, this problem probably wouldn't have arisen. Sadly they would rather hold governments and their many followers to ransom. Thanks Facebook for your loyalty.
Allan Milton, Adamstown Heights
Facebook is just too big now
WHO cares if Facebook denies publication to Australians? This is an organisation that allows people to slander, libel, and bully individuals with impunity. It allows fake news, conspiracy theories, gossip and a litany of untruths to be published. People have taken their life after being relentlessly bullied on Facebook. Facebook has regularly influenced politics, but it is never in a hurry to shut down some vile content that appears on this site. The whole conglomeration needs to be broken up and consigned to history. Any decent news and information can easily be accessed on other decent trusted sites.
Sandy Buchanan, Largs
What else gets drivers revved up
IN response to Jeff Corbett's recent article ('What drives me crazy', Opinion 13/2), I would like to add drivers stalled at green lights preoccupied with their mobile phones, being tailgated when driving to the speed limit in the overtaking lane with my indicator on because I intend to make a right-hand turn, and passengers advising me how to drive my own car despite a 50-year impeccable driving record having never caused an accident or been issued with a speeding ticket.
Ann Williams, Hamilton North
Balance in bias might have value
I am intrigued by complaints from contributors to this page about left-wing bias on the ABC. Intrigued, because I imagine them sitting in front of the TV, watching ABC news or current affairs programs for hours on end, muttering to themselves about bias (whatever "left-wing bias" actually means). They must spend a lot of time watching the ABC to be able to form a view; surely they wouldn't just be reacting to the relentless campaign by the powerful, extreme right-wing Murdoch and Sky media to discredit the ABC, would they? Which raises another point: if the aim is to have a balanced media in Australia, as some contributors claim, shouldn't we be demanding that the ABC tilts to the left to counter the extreme right-wing bias of Murdoch and Sky, some conservative politicians and the various conservative think-tanks that regularly complain about the ABC?
John Ure, Mount Hutton
SHORT TAKES
FACEBOOK, like all corporations, has one aim only; that is to make money. Interesting that the self-described political party of enterprise is surprised by that. I do not have a Facebook account, nor do I want one. Like regional farmers I can tune in to the reliable ABC for natural disaster information. "Commie run" ABC (Short Takes, 18/2), Chris Peters? I am sure Ita would disagree.
Marvyn Smith, Heddon Greta
I CAN sympathise with Suzanne Coleman (Letters, 17/2). A few weeks ago I noticed the toilets were also locked at about 3.30 pm on a Saturday. About 50 m away the council- run public toilets are permanently closed in the Queens Wharf building which is empty, closed and shut up. Why is that? Perhaps GM Jeremy Bath could write and tell us, given he claims our council is transparent. The Islington Park toilets closed over 20 years ago as part of a council blitz across the inner suburbs. Write to the council and complain, and ask for a copy to be sent to ward councillors, the general manager and the lord mayor.
Keith Parsons, Newcastle
I TRIED hard to empathise with Greg Hunt and his like-minded associates "with half a brain (who know) it's a fact that the taxpayer funded ABC has become a mouthpiece for the left." Considering that the LNP has authorised regular enquiries into alleged bias in the ABC over the last 30 years and come up fruitless I found I could not see things his way. Sorry, I tried.
John Arnold, Anna Bay
ASH Barty might have lost her tennis match, but she won more Australian hearts with her graciousness during the post-match interview. What a joy to have her playing as an Australian.
Ian Stewart, Elermore Vale
PHILIP Kelly (Short Takes, 18/2) is so correct with his comparison of Newcastle Harbour to Fremantle. Newcastle is a waste- land. No visionaries here.
Jo Coombes, Mayfield West
FACEBOOK; Arsebook more like it. I'm not on it and don't use it; I prefer to be a real human being.
Steve Barnett, Fingal Bay
THE Heaps Gay concert is to be held outside Sydney's St Mary's Cathedral. It wa originally using the cathedral on the promotion material (now removed). I can only assume that the next one will be held outside a mosque or Parliament House so as not to offend anyone.
John Hollingsworth, Hamilton
HOW good is Barnaby Joyce? On 7.30 Report, (Wed 17/2), while maintaining his objection to the government, of which he is a member, setting an emissions reduction target, Barnaby made the extraordinary comment: "You can't say I want to marry a person and then say I actually want to marry somebody else". Bad analogy, Barnaby. Isn't that what you did?
John Ure, Mount Hutton
I THINK it is time Australians dumped Facebook.