Mark Bowen ("Don't underestimate young people", Letters, 7/12), I've trained many good, young apprentices. When an apprentice, I'm training two at present, works under my supervision I do own them.
It's my responsibility to own them for their personal safety.
Full-carcass butchers are a rare breed these days and earn well above award wages. Like my boss when I was an apprentice, I don't tolerate a wandering mind, hangovers, drugs, and these days mobile phones during work hours. A mate sacked two of his hospitality staff who rang in sick for a weekend after another staff member pointed out their Facebook page showing they attended a music festival. So social media does play a role in employment.
It's hard to find people who are willing to put the phone away. If my approach to training apprentices is, as you say, redneck, well this cleaver-wielding Cletus is proud to be called a redneck. This is my 40th Christmas in a butcher shop. Maybe one day I'll know how to run one.
Steve Barnett, Fingal Bay
What is measured justice?
I am conflicted by the issue of detainees, which is soaking up more airtime and column space in the media than the "forgotten war" in Ukraine.
On one hand, the High Court decision that indefinite detention is unlawful is a correct one. On the other hand, it is alarming that dangerous criminals are roaming our streets.
The debate surrounds the irrational fear that many of the offenders of serious crimes such as murder, rape, and child sexual molestation will continue to offend on their release. So far, four of the 141 detainees released have offended and been returned to detention.
The longest-serving detainees have spent 16 years in detention, and the average detention has been about 560 days ... for the most part, it appears that many of the dangerous offenders who have been released have served more time in detention than they would have served in an equivalent Australian prison for crimes they may have committed and been jailed for in Australian society. And so, the conundrum.
Justice is a measured response to crime, heinous or otherwise. It must be seen to be fair, as difficult as such decisions appear.
Tony Buzek, East Maitland
Funds' questionable investment
Regarding Aussie super funds investing almost $20 billion in clean energy projects in the UK ("Aussie funds invest big in UK energy switch", Herald 28/11). The UK is not renewing its wind farm projects as it's building a $25 billion nuclear power station at Hinkley Point. The UK has called offshore wind farms the biggest clean energy disaster in years.
Why aren't our governments watching what is happening overseas, as these countries are further ahead in this type of power production technology? We have a lot of uranium in the NT so why don't we utilise what we have?
Why can't our super funds invest in Australia with our money? Maybe they don't have faith in Blackout Bowen?
Ian Bartrop, Birmingham Gardens
Take action for Pete
Pete's story is a sad one ("For Pete's sake", Herald, 9/12). On the streets of Newcastle for so long, without a roof over his head, and worse still, to be abused, is a sad reflection on all of us.
Maybe some property baron out there could donate one of his empty houses to this poor old Aussie. Enough is enough, this poor soul needs a roof over his head now, and not left to be found dead on the streets of Newcastle. Come on, Newcastle, get this old bloke a roof over his head for Christmas.
Richard Ryan, Summerland Point
A real Christmas concert
What a joy to attend Pacific Park on Sunday evening and to take part in the real story of Christmas, in a nativity play together with traditional carols and songs which we could all sing. This story is why we have Christmas, not all the commercialisation for which it has become. And perhaps what is happening in Israel and Gaza at present will make this 2000-year-old story more relevant.
Thank you so much to Newcastle's Grainery Church for giving this to us. Their soloists were superb. Hopefully this true story of Christmas will be an annual event.
Suzanne Martin, Newcastle
SHORT TAKES
Funding cut a frustrating replay
Surprise, surprise. The NSW government cuts the required amount of funding for the new stadium (Court short: $25m not enough for full stadium, Herald 9/12). We need to be smarter and tell the government that it is actually for Sydney. The same thing happened when funding was pulled for a cruise terminal in Newcastle under the previous government, only to have it built in Eden. It's time for our local MPs to stand up to the Premier to get the funding for the project.
Greg Lowe, New Lambton
Wrong site for stadium
I totally agree that new facilities for Newcastle Basketball are long overdue. But Turton Road, New Lambton, is not suitable. There's not enough parking and the proposed 146 car parks in stage 1 are ridiculously insufficient with only an extra 59 in stage 2. New facilities should have plenty of room to expand when needed, rather than outgrow their space.
Richelle Armstrong, New Lambton
Labor fail on detention
John Bonnyman ("Dutton on detention", Letters, 9/12), shows just how skewed opinions become when you follow an agenda. Labor failed to act when they knew full well that the High Court decision relating to detainees would go against them, and then had to be led by the nose by Peter Dutton to strengthen their new rushed laws.
Greg Hunt, Newcastle West
It's cent to try us
BWS had three longnecks for $20.01 recently. I asked a shop attendant if he knew why there was 1 cent on the price. He just shook his head, rolled his eyes and we both cracked up. Yesterday, three longnecks at BWS were $20. I shudder at how much the conglomerate made by people using plastic. I laugh astonished at how much they lost with those paying by redback.
Bryn Roberts, New Lambton
Clarification
My letter was published in Monday's Herald, but I am concerned that the edited first sentence was erroneous. It read "I would like to rebut key points raised by Gary Linnell's opinion piece". I wasn't rebutting Linnell's piece. I was using John Cooper's rebuttal to provide context to two points I was addressing: 1. That parents don't choose private schools, private schools choose their parents, and 2. It's not just public schools that should invest in raising educational outcomes, but also Catholic and independent.
