Personally I believe we are indeed witnessing a grassroots revolt as diverse community groups and residents express their frustration and outrage at their lack of voice and political representation in decision-making at both local and state government levels.

I think Geoffrey Watson SC is right to advocate for "...the good people of Newcastle to reassert control, wrest it from the bad guys in this Machiavellian battle".

ON Tuesday I was walking to my car in the Marketown shopping centre, when I was approached by a young lady and given a beautiful bunch of flowers. I asked about the gift and was told it was a women's group who had decided to do this kind of thing. It was a lovely surprise.

I drove home and as I drove into my driveway, I noticed a neighbour who has dealt with several 'curved balls' of life in the last 6 months. Yes, I gave her the flowers. It was quite emotional for her. She in turn decided to share the gift with another family member.

The point is that to be kind to people has its rewards and in this case three people had a better day due to one act of kindness.

HAS the Western world collectively gone mad? The movie Barbie is proving to be a smash hit. It's a movie made about a plastic doll with impossible dimensions and an obsession with the colour pink that was targeted at five-year old girls. US Judge Alex Kozinski's opinion was that the original '50s Barbie doll resembled a "German street walker" and still possessed a "fictitious figure". We all laughed when Aqua brought out the song Barbie Girl 25 years ago, but that was a joke set to music. A full-length movie about the same child's toy? Is there a sensible plot? Do adults seriously want to pay money to see it? Is this proof that Western civilisation has finally collapsed into a cesspool of trivial decadence? God help us.

The film Oppenheimer provides an opportunity to reflect on some history and look to the future. However, an important Australian aspect was omitted. A year before the Manhattan Project was established two physicists, Otto Frisch and Rudolf Peierls, revealed to the eminent Australian physicist Mark Oliphant in London that an airborne atomic bomb, previously thought too heavy, was in fact possible. It was not until Oliphant flew to America and met with J. Robert Oppenheimer that the London work was taken seriously, and bomb construction was undertaken.

From 1946 to 1996 the US, UK and France detonated 318 nuclear devices in the Pacific region including at Maralinga in South Australia. The Maralinga tests failed to adequately consider the presence of the Anangu Pitjantjatjara people.

A delegation of Maralinga survivors and relatives recently visited Canberra urging the government to sign the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The treaty was adopted in 2017 with the backing of 122 countries. Six years later, the treaty has been signed by 95 state parties and ratified by 68. While Australia is not one of these, in 2018 the Australian Labor Party adopted a resolution committing it to ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in government. It was moved by now prime minister Anthony Albanese.

For the sake of young Australians already concerned about climate change, ratifying the treaty is one way the government can send a signal of hope for the future. It must be done.

IN his latest attempt to denigrate those who don't share his views on the Voice, John Ure ('Voice is for 'unloved people'', Letters, 8/8) writes he has seen no empathy for Indigenous people among those of us saying 'no' to the Voice. How many times do we have to write that we would vote for constitutional Indigenous recognition and would support a legislated Voice?

It's as simple as this; would you purchase a car without a test drive and asking questions first? If you were told "just sign here and we'll give you the answers later", wouldn't you say 'no' out of hand?

READING the ministerial code of conduct made me wonder what happens if close family members of ministers don't want to share their pecuniary interests, land holdings with the MP because of bad blood, privacy claims, or other concerns? How does the minister then obtain relevant information or even be aware of such financial affairs? I ask after recent foul-mouthed comments by Tim Crakanthorp's mother-in-law reported in some newspapers about her son-in-law and politicians generally.

CONGRATULATIONS, Abby Butler ('Newcastle voice goes national with triple j drive-time hosting role', Newcastle Herald, 10/8). What a great achievement and a wonderful opportunity! Abby, I reckon you have given your dad the ultimate early Father's Day present. Tim, how good are our talented daughters!

COME on now, enough already on Sam Kerr. She's played 30 minutes in the whole comp and is getting never-ending publicity. Enough is enough! Give the deserving girls in the team a little bit more congratulations, like Emily van Egmond for instance. To me, the constant praising of a non-playing player seems like favouritism in my book. Best wishes for your next game, girls.

WOW, Commonwealth Bank of Australia profit rises 5 per cent to $10 billion, CEO Matt Comyn takes home $10 million for the year, but he understands people are struggling ('CBA banks record $10.2b profit', Herald 10/8). Is he serious? He must be really struggling. This is a joke.

WELL put, Ian Rees ('Recovery nearly cost Knights', Letters, 8/8). I've heard Manchester United are closing in on Jamayne Isaako as their marquee player for next season; I reckon he'd fit right in with acting like he delivered in the Knights/Dolphins match last weekend.

AUSTRALIA is the only formal colony that has not recognised Indigenous people constitutionally. The British Empire and White Australia policy are long gone, as it should be. Don't be silly; vote 'yes'.

I KNOW I am getting old, but did I just hear NSW Premier Chris Minns refer to the upcoming "drought season"? It was formerly known as summer in my day.