THE last few funerals I have been to have been billed as a celebration of life. Whatever happened to grief? Your attitude to funerals will depend on your beliefs about death.
One view says that we are just atoms and energy and that death is where your atoms go back into the soil and you cease to exist. It's like a modern version of stoicism.
Stoics promote reason and low expectations. Death is just a natural part of life and nothing happens after it.
A stoic approach to life does not encourage grief. Their approach is more rational than emotional.
The second approach goes like this: "Uncle Nick is now up there looking down on us, having a beer with Uncle Doug before they go surfing on a never-ending break. Here's to Uncle Nick!".
Equally, this narrative does not secure a safe and justified place for grief; it's more about celebration.
How does the traditional alternative fare? Judeo-Christian teaching has always seen death as an enemy. There may be comfort to come (if you like God) but we are there to grieve a loss.
Out of the three narratives we can hear in a modern funeral, only the traditional version creates a safe and justified space for grief. It's the funeral that allows people to grieve.
Ross Bowerman, Swansea
More detail sought on wage bill
RATEPAYERS may well be shaking their heads in disbelief at City of Newcastle's 11 per cent rise in staff costs ('Newcastle council staffing costs to rise $15 million next year', Newcastle Herald 7/5).
Considering the complaints that have appeared on these pages over the last few years about the state of road and footpath disrepair and the general lack of footpath and kerbside maintenance, the public are entitled to know in what capacity any extra staff have been employed.
They wont find the answer anywhere on the council website, or in their Annual Reports.
The last known reporting of EFTs (equivalent full-time staff) I can find was in 2016/17 at 865.7 employees.
Now we learn that in the 2019/20 budget it was up to 1093, and has now jumped to "more than 1300" . Unfortunately we are unlikely to know what all these extra staff actually do.
Christine Everingham, Newcastle East
School wasn't perfect in old days
LIKE Jan Phillip Trevillian ("Discipline lessons from a history of schooling, Letters, 6/5), I was a school pupil in classes of 48 but do not share the rose-coloured vision of the time.
Both public and private systems gave detention because of ink blots on the spelling list; left-handers were smacked with a ruler to force them to write with the other hand, and caning was so rife some students competed for the most hits.
This is hardly indicative of problem-free times.
Like then, today's public schools with their breadth and depth of intake still offer education unconstrained by parental income, religion or social standing.
Students experience firsthand the humanity of "others" .
They are not segregated from different religious persuasions or social /economic groups.
Just as I did in the olden days, they can learn through everyday experience as well as in theory that some rich kids are likeable, have happy and sad lives, can be talented and have a sense of humour.
The statistics still show that students from public schools with the same marks as those from private schools do better academically at university.
Janet Sutherland, Hillsborough
Presentation night hit it for six
CONGRATULATIONS to the committee of Newcastle City and Suburban Cricket Association for the presentation night held at Mayfield's MEX Club. The food came out on platters with enough food for everyone
Over 100 players were in attendance to enjoy the stories of guest speaker and Australian cricketer Sarah Coyte with the assistance of NSW Cricket committee members. And the food kept coming out on platters.
The C&S umpires were presented with medallions for adjudicating grand finals, the president of the Umpires Association gave a speech, and the food kept coming out on platters. Association life members presented winning teams their trophies and medallions, and still the food kept coming out.
A great night was had by all.
Good luck to all teams and players for the season, and Robert Dillon, you are right; there are always two sides to a story ("There's always two sides to every story", Sporting Declaration, 4/5).
Noel and Judy Lewis, Swansea
Preventing smoke woes beats a cure
THANK you to Damon Cronshaw for alerting the public to the significant and prolonged detrimental impacts of bushfire smoke on heart and lung function ("'Significant effect': bushfire smoke hits the heart and lungs", Newcastle Herald 2/5). Too many Australians experienced this during the black summer.
The air pollution associated with planned or prescribed burning and coal-fired power stations is also worthy of mention.
We can stay indoors and wear N95 masks all we like, but prevention of unhealthy air pollution is much better than the cure.
It is therefore disappointing that Eraring is likely to continue operations beyond next year ("Eraring's owner has all the power in energy extension negotiations", Herald 4/5).
Our health will benefit from the clean air and climate change mitigation that renewable energy offers.
Amy Hiller, Kew
Death penalty may be the answer
THERE is a simple and effective, low-cost way of ending the shocking number of deaths caused by domestic violence: bring back the death penalty.
If we hang the next coward who kills his partner, I guarantee a sudden and dramatic fall in the number of murders, probably down to zero.
Pouring money into trying to stop the murders now is simply a waste; you won't change the mind-set of the present generation, you have to work on the next one. Raise children to respect other humans.
My father taught and instilled in me from being very young that you never hit a woman, no matter what the provocation, and I never have.
Alan Kendall, Neath
Was tough question really unfair?
NEIL Meyers ("Interview's awkward turn grates", Letters, 3/5), wrote that "Keegan Payne, the teenager who caught the tagged barramundi and won a million dollars was being interviewed by Peter Stefanovic on Sky. All was going well until Peter brought up a past misdemeanour".
Misdemeanour?
A couple of years ago Keegan and another teenager stole two vehicles belonging to the small business that employed them.
That's considered a car-theft crime in most states and territories, offenders can go to jail for that. That small business went broke, I believe, not long after that event.
Did that loss of vehicles have something to do with the business failure? Peter Stefanovic merely asked Keegan if he had something to say to that business owner and if he would repay him for the vehicles. Is that unfair?
