Your Letters

Newcastle Herald

Wednesday January 14, 2009

LETTERS

Byron has seen the light

THE Cape Byron Lighthouse and reserve at Byron Bay is an iconic site open to the public and is a tourism gem.

It has not been handed over to an individual for private profit.

The site is owned by the people of NSW and is under the control of the NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change.

It is managed by the Cape Byron Headland Reserve Trust.

The income from accommodation at the cottages and lighthouse tours goes to the trust for the upkeep of the site.

The site is a wonderful place for whale watching and viewing the stunning coastline.

It has an education centre and a kiosk and is the home for the local Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol.

Locals and tourists flock there, as they do to other lighthouse sites in NSW.

Nobbys should be the same.

If the Newcastle Port Corporation is not willing to protect the site, it should be handed over to the NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change which has the legal responsibility to manage the natural and cultural heritage of this state.

Barbara Gaudry

Merewether

January 13

Other side of hospital coin

I WRITE in response to "Left alone" (Herald 12/1).

I'm a mother of two beautiful children, both delivered at Maitland Hospital in the past two years.

I received a high standard of care.

The midwives and doctors worked to the best of their ability and I was able to return home with two healthy children.

It is terrible that some women have suffered traumatic experiences and it is not something that will be forgotten in a hurry.

My heart goes out to them.

I would like to see maternity wards reopen at hospitals such as Cessnock and Kurri Kurri, forced to close due to a lack of funding and understaffing.

If these two hospitals were to reopen their maternity wards with adequate resources, situations like those reported recently may be less likely.

Holly-Lee Steur

Bellbird

January 12

Sting in the tail of turtle deaths

I READ "Stingrays unflappable in lake environment" (Herald 10/1) with great interest and am always pleased to see the plight of marine species in Lake Macquarie highlighted.

The reference in the article to six turtle deaths since July only includes the turtles that I have been notified of by friends and family.

The figure could well be much higher if information from agencies like the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Eraring Energy, and the Native Animal Trust Fund was included.

There were no visible injuries in the case of the six turtles.

The causes of death cannot be conclusively attributed to fishing hooks, rubbish or collisions with boats.

No autopsies have been done on the turtles, with the exception of the most recent turtle carcass found on January 2 at Wangi Wangi.

As reported, the outcome of the autopsy was inconclusive but apparently no plastic or fishing debris was found internally.

Sadly, until we have proper scientific investigations and collation of data we can only guess at the cause of these deaths.

This lack of investigation is a good indicator of the priorities and management practices of the relevant authorities.

Alison Dunne

Quorrobolong

January 10

Turning tables on truant trolleys

I NOTED with interest "Abandoned trolley sad side of consumerism" (Herald 12/1).

I am the project manager of a national shopping trolley information service called Trolley Tracker that started in Newcastle in 1996.

Many large stores benefit from information about the location of abandoned shopping trolleys reported through Trolley Tracker.

We provide information to assist trolley retrieval.

People report abandoned trolleys via our freecall number, 1800 641 497.

Trolleys can also be reported to trolleytracker.com.au.

Calls are answered seven days a week and information is transmitted to the relevant trolley collector.

Councils can use our service without involving their staff.

Each month, as an added bonus, one lucky caller receives a $1000 open order.

Lyn Hall

Trolley Services Australia

January 12

Packaging is a load of garbage

MY family has embraced the habit of using the recycling bin for the over-abundance of packaging that seems to accumulate each week at our home.

I think the pick-up of household rubbish could be done fortnightly and the recycling weekly.

Why don't more people make an issue of the waste of resources that get poured into over-packaged goods?

Martin Anderson

Redhead

January 11

Getting cyclists into line

AFTER reading "Cyclists lobbying for safer, fairer share of city roads" (Herald 13/1), I had mixed emotions.

Cyclists should be offered as much security as possible while on the road but in return they need to be aware of their effect on traffic.

Cyclists undergo no form of testing; some swerve dangerously in and out of cars and, as I have witnessed on several occasions, some run red lights.

More space on roads, especially at peak hour, is an obvious solution but without proper rules how can we be sure it will be used in a smart and safe manner?

If a fair share is what cyclists want, then maybe we need adequate testing and training to ensure the safety of all road users.

Melanie Kanavakatini

Cardiff, January 13

Letter of the week

This week the letter judged the best, most succinct and interesting will win a double pass to the Greater Union cinemas, courtesy of The Herald. The winner will be announced on Saturday on this page.

© 2009 Newcastle Herald

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