I cannot foresee any drop in crowd numbers because Novocastrians and the Hunter Valley people have a reputation for giving everybody a fair go.

It may be drawing a long bow, but crowd numbers at cricket's short-term matches still continue to be healthy. This is despite the deplorable behaviour of some of their players.

I think any drop in Knights' home attendances would be due to losing games.

We all like to be winners.

ANOTHER week, another cancelled music event ("Fresh Produce gig cancelled", Herald, 29/5), just like oh so many others since the start of the pandemic.

Naturally, these cancellations are all to stop the spread of coronavirus of course, but I find it odd that something like the annual Byron Bay Bluesfest could be cancelled (the day before it was due to start), while during the exact same weekend, the Royal Easter Show still went ahead with an estimated 800,000 people attending.

This was also months after more than 110,000 people attended last year's State Of Origin series, at a time when any concerts were non-existent.

I guess the way of thinking is that the coronavirus is not very likely to infect anyone attending places like Bunnings, shopping centres, and stadiums hosting large scale sporting events, but is incredibly likely to infect people at any event involving live music.

How very sneaky and clever of corona.

NO wonder Australia is in the pandemic quandary.

These state premiers run their little so-called countries with contempt and ignorance, and their constituents are blind-sided by their lies and hypnotic use of cover ups.

These fools haven't learnt from their previous mistakes in handling aged care facilities, hotel quarantine or lock downs. People in these dictatorship states are paying for these criminal and blatant misuses of political protocols.

Australians are dying, businesses are failing, mental and domestic issues are off the charts, yet you still vote for these abusers of political power.

They need the federal government to step in and cull their ambitious tendencies. They were voted in to govern their state. To ensure the safety and economy of its citizens was their one and only priority, not political ambitions. Care for the elderly, health care workers and front liners then the general populous.

Bring us out of this pandemic back to health and prosperity.

THE editorial "Crunching the numbers on COVID-19" (Herald, 1/6) quoted some alarming figures on the COVID pandemic. But on closer examination, perhaps not so alarming?

Yes, 171 million total pandemic cases in 18 months of COVID seems a lot, but that's little more than 2 per cent of the world's population. Of those, most have recovered, but sadly 3.55 million have died, that's about 2 per cent again.

There are now more than 14 million active cases, but only 0.6 per cent are seriously ill. And that's in a world where medical authorities advise no early medical treatment until you are so sick you need to go to hospital.

That's the first time in modern history that no early treatment for a serious viral infection is routinely advised. No one has explained why? The death rate from COVID-19 was quoted as over 1820 per million in the UK and the US as if that was alarmingly high. A terrible toll, but that is still only a death rate of less than 0.2 per cent.

Claiming that President Trump promoted bizarre "cures" and displayed indifference to the welfare of his fellows was churlish at the very least. He followed the advice of his health advisors for the most part, even Dr Fauci.

Fauci advised Trump early last year not to close off national borders, that COVID-19 would be a minor infection risk and that wearing clinical facemasks was unnecessary. Fauci changed his advice on all those points over the 2020 year, but Trump got the blame. Sort of puts the COVID story into perspective, doesn't it?

I JUST don't get it; the push for hydrogen manufacture, especially for export purposes, does little to reduce our carbon output, rather it increases it.

The manufacture of hydrogen, apart from the dangers it poses, can create more carbon than saved when being used. In other words we will be increasing our carbon output so others may benefit, which begs the question; is the motivation more about the money to be made, than saving our environment?

Surely common sense should prevail; better to keep on using coal for our benefit rather than doing the same damage for others to benefit.

I believe some have become so obsessed with the removal of coal they are unable to think clearly and sometimes can make very bad decisions.

I AM struck by the parallels between Sydney's Barangaroo development and Newcastle's own 'Stairway to Heaven' project.

Barangaroo was a derelict unused wharf area. Sydney had a chance for a beautiful foreshore park to compliment the Domain. Instead they ended up with a 75-storey apartment block. Newcastle has a derelict and unused car park.

We have the choice between the magnificent stairway to heaven proposal, something all Newcastle can enjoy and be proud of or another apartment block.

The choice is ours, Newcastle.

SURELY the collapse of the cliff face on Newcastle Beach, where they are building a skate park, should tell the council that it was a fundamentally flawed idea in the first place and cancel construction.

A skate park there, where sand will constantly blow, would make skating dangerous and accident-prone. This place further congests access to the beach where people want to swim and enjoy. Let us face it; skateboarders would not be there for the view or ocean breezes. CoN, quit this ill-thought project now

MAYFIELD has lost another much needed service; banks/credit unions. Why? Where are people who don't have transport to deposit or get much needed cash to go? Is there a smart person out there who can open a service which can be used for all banks? Do post offices maybe do it now? Soon they will go. Then the streets will only have coffee shops and supermarkets left. They will also go in time. What's the world coming to? We will become hermits, won't we?

I HATE to break the bad news to Peter Sansom (Staring down the barrel of parking problem, Letters, 2/6) but his beloved King Street car park has been empty for at least 12 months and has been signed off by engineers for demolition because it is dangerous.

COULD not agree more with Clive Jensen, (Short Takes, 2/6), as a political opponent Bryce Gaudry was a real tough nut to crack, as honest as the day is long; as a person he certainly was a thorough gentleman loyal to all friends.

WE have seen what a very wealthy person, with the aid of an elected state politician, has done to Barangaroo; from parkland for everyone to enjoy to a place for a select few. Do we learn? Keep our magnificent King Edward Park green - a place for everyone to enjoy.

SO now we know that COVID is more likely airborne than we were previously told. Are we going to change the COVIDSafe app so that it goes off after a few seconds rather than 15 minutes? COVIDSafe what I hear you say ... It seems like our politicians have better things to do now. How soon things change and how the race isn't a race at all. ScoMo needs to get in the fast lane and demonstrate that he can do things as fast as he can talk. If he manages that for the nation he is supposed to be governing then maybe he will be earning his wages.

FORMER Australian Minister for Finance Mathias Cormann has been appointed Secretary General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. It is an honour for him and I believe, an honour for Australia. As for his many critics who tried in vain to discourage his appointment, perhaps a little slap in the face.

POINT taken, John Ure (Short Takes, 2/6). In my defence, all I can say is I find that reading this page often induces episodes of trichotillomania.

MEMO to Michael Hinchey (Short Takes, 29/5) and John Ure (Short Takes, 2/6): in his 1946 essay, 'Politics and the English Language', George Orwell gives his six rules for writing. His second rule is 'Never use a long word where a short one will do'.